He lured me into L'Ovella Negra, a cavernous bar full of foreign students, all immeasurably drunk on 1.20-euro draft beers (or, as www.ovellanegra.com puts it, "beeeeeeeeer").
In the EU's 138bn-euro draft budget for 2013 the cohesion fund and related sustainable growth funding have the biggest slice - 62.5bn euros, compared with 57.9bn euros for agriculture, rural development and fisheries.
The treaty will enter into force "on the first day of the month following the deposit of the ninth instrument of ratification by a contracting party whose currency is the euro," the draft states.
As Baghdad falls, Syria stands accused, George Bush strides triumphant, Gordon Brown harrumphs about the euro, Europe drafts a new constitution and China succumbs to virulent pneumonia... the good British voter keeps a level head.
This did not block anything, but it complicates the legal process by forcing the 17 euro-zone members (and most of the euro "outs") to draft a text outside the EU treaties.The new pact may help prevent a future crisis, but does little to halt the current one.
Other codes such as the ACI, the draft Euro code EC/2, the Canadian code and the CIRIA guide No.2b present some design guidelines based on empirical analysis.
The drinks — around 4 euros for a draft beer — are more reasonable.
Uefa, the Euro organiser, has drafted in 10,000-15,000 staffity staforfor more than 110 sites, including stadiums, team hotels and other tournament sites.
The Commission says it is 5bn euros below the draft budget, so there is still a risk of a funding shortfall.
By September, Greece will need a new rescue, which leaves only a few months for euro zone ministers to draft a package.
If Der Spiegel was right about the momentousness of Merkel's day, the same could be said for Hollande of France who, with his government and officials, has been campaigning tirelessly in recent weeks to keep Greece in the euro, helping Athens to draft its proposals.
