Keep things in perspective. Is the EU able to smile or even laugh at itself? Of course it is! The long cultural traditions of Europe demonstrate this, and not just in the form of irony or critical comments, but often savage satire and virulent wit. Who has ever been produced fiercer satire on Ancient Rome than Juvenal or Martial? Now that Europe is in the process of becoming united, irony and satire are only to be expected. The question is whether it is appropriate for the Czech Presidency and an EU Member State to promote it. The protests of various Member States (the ambassadors are supposed to do a good job) and the resulting excuses from the Czech Presidency should not divert attention from two points: a) a sense of humour. The Czech prime minister, Alexandr Vondra, gave forewarning about the style of the Czech Presidency when he told our newsletter last month that compared with the previous presidency, there would be a different style - playful, innovative and perhaps slightly provocative (see issue 2510 in the series EUROPE/Documents); b) the artist's intentions. David Cerny explained that his idea was not to put across his own ideas about the Member States (France on strike, the United Kingdom not on the European map, etc), but rather to illustrate the stereotypes that people often have about other Member States. His idea was to criticise the prejudices, not the countries. As for the artist's hoax (he invented fellow artists for images he had produced himself), this does not go beyond the sort of thing that any avant-garde movement comes up with. It is understandable that some official figures and spectators see it all as an expression of bad taste, but other people enjoy it. Things should be kept in proportion. (F.R.)