Fewer British Eurocrats in Brussels in future

Britain is cutting the funding for its students at the College of Europe, the training centre for future Eurocrats. Critics of the decision say it will leave fewer Britons in top policy-making jobs in Brussels.

The College of Europe in Bruges is a famous incubator for want-to-be European bureaucrats. It provides successful students with a post-graduate degree in political studies. For the past 60 years, college alumni have worked at the top levels of European policy-making. Jonathan Faull, who has been appointed to oversee the workings of the EU's internal markets, is a typical British Bruges graduate.

But now, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has decided to end all but two of the 28 scholarships, worth €20,000 each, given every year to British graduates. The move was condemned by Nick Clegg, the leader of Britain's Liberal Democratic Party, who graduated from the College of Europe in 1992.

"In the context of overall government spending of £600 billion, this is a miniscule saving," Clegg told the Financial Times. "Yet it will create long-term costs by reducing the number of British graduates qualified to stand up for British interests in Europe."