European prime ministers and finance ministers, including our own Bertie Ahern and Charlie McCreevy, gathering in Brussels next weekend to endorse the entry of 11 EU states into monetary union may find themselves up against a problem that could scupper the might of a special Euro summit.
The 16,000 EU headquarters staff are threatening industrial action the same weekend over a 60page leaked document which suggests sweeping reforms in their whole basis of employment - including salary, pensions and even perks. The Commissioner in charge, Finn, Erkki Liikanen, has played down the affair, saying it's an internal document by an official thinking out loud, but the Eurocrats remain militant.
Aside from industrial chaos, few surprises are expected. The entry of the 11 qualifiers (Britain, Denmark and Sweden don't want in, and Greece won't be let in) will be rubber-stamped, the exchange rate of the various currencies to the Euro and to each other will be agreed and the minutae of the changeover period, when we'll all have two currencies from January 1st next until the new notes and coins take over on January 1st 2002, will be worked out.
The one area of contention is the presidency of the European Central Bank where deadlock reigns. Dutchman Wim Duisenberg was expected to be a shoo-in because the Germans are very keen on his strict approach to monetary policy, as indeed are we, but the French are pushing their own man, Jean Claude Trichet and the term "revolving president" is rising its head. In any case a compromise candidate is unlikely to come from Ireland, given the state of banking here.