The week in Strasbourg:For European Parliament rookie Colm Burke, it was a gentle introduction to the ways of Strasbourg. The former lord mayor of Cork is Ireland's newest MEP, having inherited Simon Coveney's position after the Fine Gael TD was forced to stand down due to the end of the dual mandate.
It was a quiet week for someone just finding their feet. It was shoehorned in before the EU summit, leaving several Strasbourg-watchers grumbling that the session was a lacklustre affair, with the corridors all but emptying early on Wednesday as many left for Brussels.
The issues up for discussion made for a rather eclectic bill of fare, ranging from a ban on the use of dog and cat fur to pinning down the exact definition of vodka.
It won't always be like this, Mr Burke acknowledged, adding that life as a replacement MEP will be very different from that in Cork City Hall.
Though Mr Burke was selected as a possible substitute MEP at a party convention in 2004 and his name was on the ballot paper for the elections that followed, he admits his lack of profile poses a challenge.
"It is difficult. It's a big constituency and it's obviously harder for people to get to know you when you're a replacement candidate. I will have to work very hard on that."
Mr Burke has just two years to overcome this and make an impression in Strasbourg - no easy task, but he remains optimistic. "Simon did a lot of work in a short period of three years and he was able to build up a very strong record. I hope to follow that example."
Meanwhile, MEPs overwhelmingly endorsed the findings of a report into the Equitable Life debacle, calling on the British government to compensate those who lost savings as a result of the company's near-demise.
In a humdrum week, the issue of vodka labelling sparked lively debate before MEPs rejected an attempt to limit the name "vodka" to spirits made only from potatoes or grain. Despite the best efforts of Strasbourg's army of press officers, it was one of only two issues that really piqued media interest.
The other was the effort to outlaw the use of dog and cat fur. Fine Gael MEP Avril Doyle welcomed the vote in favour of an EU-wide ban. "A ban on this cruel trade, where in many cases the animals are skinned alive for their fur, is long overdue," she said.
Outside the plenary, one committee vote caused a ripple of interest for those keeping track of the controversial plan to liberalise postal services across the EU. Last year the European Commission proposed that the remaining monopolies in the postal sector should disappear by 2009 but on Monday the Parliament's transport committee voted that the deadline be extended by two years.