It is amazing what a little light can do. Two lists of advisers were published by the European Commission this week. One was trotted out very happily by Jose Manuel Barroso, the president, the names of a new advisory group on energy and climate change. The other was quietly slipped out after months of pressure. It is that of the 53 special advisers to the 27 commissioners.

There are some interesting names on both. Barroso’s top team includes Peter Sutherland, ex-commissioner and chairman of BP, the energy company, and the ubiquitous Sir Nicholas Stern, whose report on the economics of climate change convinced many political skeptics.

It also boasts Nicolas Hulot, the TV presenter-turned-green-activist who has been courted by the two French presidential frontrunners, and other worthies.The two most colourful figures on the special adviser list , Rolf Linkohr and Dina Akkelidou, have already been asked to leave.

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David Cameron’s new Movement for European Reform is a strange thing. Launched by the British Conservative leader on Tuesday in Brussels, there were several things which struck me as slightly unusual about the inauguration of this new centre-right group.

The first was the fact that the Conservatives had gone to the trouble to bring along about 90 students from London schools to "see at first hand" Europe’s future being discussed: they also performed the useful role of filling empty seats at the back of the hall and looking youthful.

The second is the fact that the Movement for European Reform - which is intended to pave the way in 2009 to the creation of a new political group in the European parliament - does not actually really exist.

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Ask British expats about Brussels life and some will admit that they don’t feel as if they live in Belgium.

British newspapers are printed here and can be delivered to your door. English is the language of business, while private British and European schools are on hand to educate your kids.

Even BBC television is beamed across Belgium: those really in need of a reminder of home can watch images of London’s standstill traffic on the news and smirk as they hear about Tube delays on the Northern Line.

Then there’s the EU bubble life in Brussels. Frequently, journalists, eurocrats, lobbyists and lawyers socialise in national or pan-national circles without mixing with many Belgians. All in all, it’s easy for the 60,000 Brits here to overlook their host.

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