Everyone is "open to compromise" on the AI directive. Nobody is, in practice.
We asked the same three diplomats for the colour. They gave us cream, beige, and a very long pause.
The Brussels Desk · Updated 17 min ago
What happened
Three national delegations publicly described themselves as flexible on the enforcement chapter of the AI directive. In the working party, all three tabled reservations on the same paragraph.
Why it matters
Public flexibility and tabled reservations are different currencies. Reading the difference is most of what Brussels reporting actually is.
The Brussels angle
Nobody wants to be the delegation that blocked the file. Everybody wants the paragraph changed. The result is a negotiation conducted entirely through footnotes.
What happens next
The next working party meeting will show whether the reservations are positions or bargaining chips.
The Brief
Brussels, decoded, once a week. No fog, no jargon, one good dry joke.