Cautious Belgium against hasty enlargement

After three enlargement-friendly EU presidencies in a row - the Czech Republic, Sweden and now Spain - Belgium's EU leadership in the second half of the year will be "strict and fair, without making promises," the country's state secretary for European affairs, Olivier Chastel, has said.

Mr Chastel is the main co-ordinator of the trio of presidencies consisting of Spain, Belgium, and, in the first half of next year, Hungary.

In his view, it is too optimistic to foresee the conclu...