In brief, there is simply too much to do

However, while the UK prime minister may be positively bursting with pride at the outstanding job his officials are doing, staff at the Council of Ministers' secretariat - which has to ensure the Union runs smoothly all year round - seem rather less impressed.Less than three weeks into London's six-month stint at the EU helm, harassed officials at the institution have already been heard to grumble that the UK is being somewhat overzealous in its ambitions. "They don't seem to realise how things work in Brussels," said one.