When Italy meets Belgium.

A calendar arrives, detailing how the European Commission’s staff in Ispra, northern Italy, will be marking Belgium’s presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers.

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Ispra is home to various parts of the Commission’s Joint Research Centre, so perhaps it is appropriate that they should be treated to a lecture by a professor from Leuven on “the chemistry of beer and health-related effects” (7 October) and another, two days later, on “the advantages of drinking beer” (it would appear that the two subjects do not overlap).

Belgium and Italy have much in common, such as a passionate interest in cycling and food, both of which feature in the schedule, which also includes an assault on Italian cultural supremacy in the form of Belgian films and music.

But perhaps the best bit is the picnic this Sunday (11 July), styled as Bruxelles-les-Bains, which features a picnic and  the World Cup Final. Somehow, the thought of a group of Commission officials gathering in Italy to celebrate the absence of the Italian team is heart-warming.