"Surreal" Belgian's bowler hat logo

Belgium takes over the presidency of the EU from Sweden on Monday.

Often the butt of jokes - especially from their much more powerful French neighbours - the Belgian presidency website assures visitors that "whereas the Belgian countryside is relatively featureless, the country's inhabitants are anything but... It is truly amazing that such a small country is capable of so much!".

Concerned to dispell any lingering doubts over the country's dullness factor or lack of famous interesting people - "Name ten famous Belgians", is an old gag - the presidency logo is based on the bowler hat that featured heavilly in the work of Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte.

A big feature of the Belgian presidency and possibly a source of contention among memeber states, will be the debate of the future of the EU or "developing the instruments through which Europe can perform in a powerful and unified way".

Speaking in May, Belgium's prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, said that as well as taking up Sweden's torch on EU enlargement, he would like to see an "integrationist" statement made at a European council to be held in Laeken this December.

"The EU is not just an inter-governmental setup. We want to go much further, to be a deeper, more profound organisation. In the Laeken declaration, we will try to go further than setting out a timetable... We want to turn it into a global project for Europe," he said.

Verhofstadt has identified six main themes for the presidency:

- deepening the debate over the future of Europe.

- improving quality of work, advancing equal opportunity and combating exclusion and poverty.

- promoting sustainable economic growth and a common economic policy.

- creating a European area of freedom, security and justice.

- promoting sustainable development and improving quality of life.

- enlarging the European Union and strengthening the external dimensions of the EU.