Welcome to In Conversation, regular podcast of Esharp magazine. Go to eSharp.E.U for free access to all our

podcast to date. This is the second episode of a series, an occasional series, What is the UK

ever done for the European Union?

And my guest is Franz Vandal.

Franz Vandal is a former Belgian permanent representative to the European Union,

a former ambassador to Belgium to NATO,

ambassador also to United States for Belgium,

and most recently, from 2009-2014,

Chief of Staff, Chef de Cabiné,

of the first ever president of the

European Council Hermann van Rompuy France thank you for doing this I'd like to cast our

minds back to January 1973 you were already in the foreign service of Belgium a

UK had just joined the European Union alongside Denmark and Ireland, of course.

What was the feeling around the table of the six founding fathers at the idea of the UK joining

the European Union? Was it anxiety? Was it trepidation? Was it enthusiasm? Was it excitement?

What was the mood just as the UK was joining?

On the eve of Great Britain's accession, I remember as a young diplomat, still meeting with the six ambassadors

of old.

The feeling was elation.

The feeling was certainly elation because the British accession had been blocked

basically by General de Gaulle and everybody was happy that this particular stumbling block

had been eliminated. Now as far as my own country's concern, together with the Dutch,

...