Slovenia, in line with its ambitions to be a full member of Europe, last month opened a separate diplomatic mission to NATO in Brussels. Most of the applicant countries' missions are located in or close to what's is called the European Area of Brussels, the district where the major offices of the EU are located. To be sited elsewhere means that staff would have to spend too much time traveling in the city's thick traffic. This district, stretching from the king's town palace to the triumphal archway in the Parc du Cinquantenaire, is today an awkward architectural mixture as old houses are pulled down to make way for ever more extravagant EU structures. One building recently demolished was once home to the sculptor Rodin.
Diplomats describe Brussels as a comfortable posting.
They grumble about the schools for foreigners, which are either too expensive or overcrowded. But housing is not expensive by international standards, and the food is unexcelled. One thing is sure. Ever more East European officials will get to know the trials and pleasures of life in Brussels as eastward expansion gathers pace.