It did not happen in good times, so now it must in bad times, declares one Eurocrat.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

The frenzy about growth has gone too far, says one Eurocrat.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

One well-placed Eurocrat sums up the sense of despair.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

The Eurocrat architects of the euro never believed a nation once in the club would ever need to quit, let alone be in a position that was so weak it could undermine the whole currency.

FORBES: The Euro: A Lobster Pot Currency

Though his thuggish networking often nettled those who worked with him in Brussels, where he was feared and disliked by many a Eurocrat, Mr Lamy's ease in both the American and European political cultures could prove an asset, though not a clinching one, in trade disputes.

ECONOMIST: Pascal Lamy, free-market Frenchman?

It is clear that this is Van Rompuy's chosen approach - find a little more from that fund, a little more from administration (Eurocrat pay and pensions), a little more from here or there and hope that all 27 leaders agree it is acceptable, if not just right.

BBC: EU budget: Wanted - a Goldilocks recipe?