The EU is gearing up for a party (of sorts) to celebrate 50 years of the Treaty of Rome. The exact date is 25th March which falls on a Sunday. So what should you do? If you’re in the UK and have an academic interest in all things European, the UACES Conference at the Foreign Office on 23-24 March looks like a good bet – I’m told tickets are still available. For the soccer fans there’s the Manchester United vs. Europe match on 13th March. I’m sure there will be plenty of interest in both Brussels and Rome on the same day – the Commission has a website with all the events listed.

And so what am I doing? Driving across Sweden, from Ã…re to Stockholm after a week skiing. I’m very much looking forward to some leave from work, but I’m managing to miss one of the very few parties there ever are about the EU.