Some of those keen to press the accelerator on the juggernaut that is the Lisbon Treaty seem to regard the Czech Republic and Poland as the misbehaving passengers who threaten to ruin the trip for everyone by refusing to get aboard.

The presidents in Prague and Warsaw have taken on the role previously assigned to the people of Ireland, of the obstinate customers in the bloc. EU leaders are putting whatever pressure they can on the last two laggards to get them to conform.

If, and it remains an if, those who favour Lisbon succeed in getting the treaty approved in time – meaning before David Cameron’s Tories could scupper it – a very different kind of European vehicle will be on the road.

Whatever the talk of streamlining, Lisbon will introduce a changed decision-making process in which the majority will dominate, and the European Commissioners and European Parliament will get enhanced roles – to say nothing of the planned "President of Europe" and muscular foreign policy chief.

In the context of this changing EU, it will be interesting to see how Bulgaria’s nomination of Roumyana Zheleva, ambitiously put forward for key portfolios such as energy or enlargement, is treated by those who really count in the bloc.

However popular Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and his Government are at home, with new polls seeing them as ever more popular, the process of arriving at European Commissioners is complex – and while Borissov has the stated aim of winning Europe’s trust, Europe might not be ready to trust Sofia’s nominee in any important driving seat.