Big in Brussels: The art of working and living in the EU Bubble

“You have to keep an open mind in Brussels. Often you don’t find the job, but the job finds you.”

“I always wanted to leave Brussels, but over the years I realised Brussels is the place to be. All world problems go through Brussels. The EU is work in progress, but it works.”

“Brussels is a legislation-making town. In Washington money counts, in Brussels it is a different game. It is more sophisticated. Here it counts what you know, that you understand issues and detailed legislation. That is our currency.”

“Sometimes you wonder how things can go wrong. My colleague had a lovely wife and a nice house in the suburbs. But he partied and like the pretty young assistants and the booze a bit too much. Now he is alone and has a child that doesn’t want to talk to him anymore.”

“In Brussels you have two categories of people: the ones who work in the institutions and the ones who want to work in the institutions. In this respect, it is a unique city, with the people inside the court and the ones who failed to enter or are waiting to get in. You could speak about a sort of caste system.”

“When you work for an influential MEP in the European Parliament, consultants kiss your ring and you feel like a King.”

“In the Commission the most important jobs don’t sound very important. However, an assistant to a director in the Commission will probably have more influence than a director in a consultancy firm lobbying the Commission.”

“The top dogs in consultancy have a commercial mindset, mainly talk money and get a kick out of getting the big number.”

“Going home at five is a career killer in Brussels.”

“Choose your tribe, with people who value your input based on quality. Know your worth, respect people around you. A helping hand can come from the most unusual places.”

“When I do interviews with candidates, I get screened instead of me screening them.”

“Me Too in Brussels? Hell yes! My boss came out of the office shower, bare-chested and his excitement to see me made his towel look like a tent. He asked me what his schedule for the day was. I replied that I would tell him when he was dressed.”

“Brussels is for many an addiction. Be careful not to get crushed in the rat race. Know who you are and dare to recognise that you might also have other desires.”

“There is not a lack of friends, but a lack of close friends.”

“There were times I thought I would never find anyone. You were treated like shit, so you start you think you are.”

“I didn’t like managing people. It is like having kids you don’t even like.”

“Many people in the Bubble see me because they are stuck in relationships that don’t work, they don’t have real friends and can’t divorce and go back to their own country because of the kids. For many, this leads to alcohol problems.”

“Everyone who stays in the Golden Cage without enjoying it finds reasons for themselves to stay.”

“In Brussels people are interested in one another. That makes me happy.”

“We are working on something that is bigger than us. We are building Europe.”

“Politics is like a drug, not cannabis, but more like cocaine. The first thing you think about the moment you are elected is your re-election. It is an addiction.”

“Forget about the hemicycle, the most important deals are done in the Mickey Mouse bar.”