The European Union is a strange beast. In fact, it is different from anything the world has ever seen before. For one thing, it is made up fifteen different sized, one-headed creatures. 

Here's where it gets even stranger: Every six months, this beast rotates one of its fifteen little heads to be its leader. At the end of the six months, all of the beast's fifteen little heads merge together into one big head at what it calls a summit. At this summit, the big head approves, or disapprove, what the prior little head accomplished. And, the big head decides what the next little leader head should try to accomplish during its term. 

Recently, the fifteen little heads merged and the beast had its six-month summit. What did the big head decide? For one thing, it decided to absorb ten more little one-headed creatures into its body. This means, soon the strange looking EU beast will look even stranger. It will become a huge monster made up of twenty-five different sized creatures and, if things stay as they are, it will have twenty-five rotating heads instead of fifteen. 

Even the beast, however, is beginning to realize just how impractical twenty-five rotating heads would be -- not to mention how ridiculous it would look. But, the beast has a problem. All twenty-five of the little creatures naturally want their head to have a turn at being the leader head of the beast. 

And, the EU beast has something else to worry about -- defense. At the present, it only has ten horns available to defend itself. To make matters worse, these ten horns are on ten of its little heads. And these ten, one-horned heads don't want the other hornless little heads telling them what to do. In other words, the ten heads with horns think they should have a greater say over the beast than the other little heads they're being asked to defend. 

To make matters worse for the EU beast, the ten one-horned heads formed an alliance and chose a leader for themselves -- you could say a little horn, different from the others (it doesn't have a head), but a horn never-the-less. 

How is the EU beast planning on resolving its problem of too many heads without offending any of its heads? It has taken many little pieces of itself and formed them into what looks like another creature -- called a Convention -- and told the little heads the Convention will decide what should be done about the rotating head problem. 

Of course, since the beast made it from its own body, the Convention is not really a different creature. But, until the EU beast decides what to do about its rotating heads, the Convention keeps the little heads busy and happy. 

So, at the summit, the big head instructed its Convention creature to finish its work and deliver its decision about how to best resolve the rotating head problem to the next summit six months away. At that time, the big head will tell the little heads how many heads will be allowed to lead the new, enlarged EU beast. 

And, there is still one more thing the big head did at this summit. To the delight of the EU beast -- with the help of the little horn -- its ten horns have finally begun to grow into their full maturity. As a result, for the first time at a summit, the big head was able to give the order that would authorize the use of the EU beast's horns. 

Naturally, the EU beast has learned to like its little horn. 

On May 1, 2004, the EU beast absorbed the 10 new one-headed creatures into its body. Now the EU beast looks even stranger with its 25 rotating heads. 

The EU beast hopes its problem with 25 rotating heads will be somewhat dealt with by its new Constitution the Convention beast came up with. However, before the Constitution can enter into force, all 25 little heads will have to first go home and get the approval of their folks.

In the mean time, the EU beast has security issues that need immediate attention. You see, the beast can't wait around for its little heads to get their permission. So, what's the EU beast to do?

Here's what the EU beast decided. At its June 2004 summit, the EU beast finally rewarded its little horn for doing such a great job getting its 10 horns together. The EU beast made the little horn its first, super Foreign Minister. This places the EU beast in charge of its 10 horns directly through its little horn. An added benefit to this is, its little horn is already in position to lead its 10 horns in an emergency, even before the Constitution comes into force.

But, since acquiring its 10 new heads, the EU beast has developed another problem. It seems three of its heads with horns have gotten together and decided they want the job of directing the defense of the EU beast.

This will never do. Why? First of all, all the other little heads are afraid of letting these three little heads with horns run things. And, secondly, this wasn't in the EU beast's plans. You see, the EU beast wants to be in control. After all, that's what it wanted from the beginning.

Once again, what's the poor EU beast to do?

Will it be forced to pull three of its heads with horns?

I almost forgot. The EU beast has just talked five of its little heads with horns into providing its little horn with a small force of its own.

I wonder what that force could be for?