‘Antici protocols’ shed light on EU crisis summits

Cerstin Gammelin and Raimund Loew, the Brussels correspondents of German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Austrian broadcaster ORF, highlighted in their book "Europa's Strippenzieher" (meaning "The ones pulling the strings in Europe") some details of the EU summits, including some secret transcripts of the almost monthly summits held during 2010-2013 at the height of the euro-crisis.

They are called Antici protocols and are the only official - but secret - records of the meetings.

Antici is Brussels jargon for a national diplomat who keeps records of what is being said at the summits. The name derives from Paolo Massimo Antici, an Italian diplomat in the 1970s, who invented the system. It is mostly based on hearsay. The EU council's Antici diplomat, who sits at the table with the EU leaders, gets out every 15 minutes to report to the national Anticis what has been said. While he is out, another Antici colleague replaces him.

• Primary Source

ESharp: EU Jargon: Antici Group http://esharp.eu/jargon/antici-group/

Wikipedia: Paolo Massimo Antici http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Massimo_Antici

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