What EU officials think of Belgians, what Belgians think of Eurocrats

 

This article was first published on the Online EU Training blog

 

What EU officials think of Belgians, what Belgians think of EurocratsA Belgian newspaper (source unknown as we only received a clipping from a friend) recently gathered what EU employees tend to think about Belgium and more specifically, Brussels…and also found out what the locals think of the “lazy, wealthy expats'”. Not very flattering – on either side!

 

Some highlights – what EU officials think of Belgians

(see original article and full list here):

•     They ‘specialise’ in making/eating chocolate, beer, waffles

and French fries

•     There is lots of painful ‘Kafkaesque’ administration red tape

•     They like to make simple things very complicated

•     There is often no government but the country keeps going

•     Belgians are bad, careless and impatient drivers

•     The customer service (e.g. in restaurants) is poor

 

•     There are hardly any famous Belgians (except for Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters)

•     There seems to be a chemist, cafe and fruit and veg shop on every street corner!

 

…and what Belgians think of EU officials and diplomats:

 

•     They’re arrogant and pretentious

•     They hardly pay any taxes

•     They don’t take part in Belgian society – e.g. they don’t go to watch Anderlecht or any another Belgian

football team and they don’t go to the theatre.

•     They all have beautiful houses.

•     They all go to Place Luxembourg and to the At Seven nightclub.

•     Their wives don’t work and spend lots of time at fitness clubs.

•     They complain all the time.

•     They have the ‘cul dans le beurre’ [an easy life].

•     They don’t do anything – they’re pen-pushers, writing report after report

•     They take long lunch breaks and don’t have much stress

 

Is it really so? Or completely unfair? What do you think?

 

(image credit: www.virtualtourist.com)

 

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