In the past, major agreements between the language communities of this country were forged in hidden-away castles. The negotiators from those days spoke of a sense of complicity between them. As the weeks passed, they came to appreciate each other's personalities, as well as tastes in music and drinks (whisky sometimes being an essential factor in the talks).

This resulted in a kind of tunnel vision: the negotiators came up with an agreement that the outside world found ugly, but was the only possible outcome for everyone involved. These agreements never won beauty prizes, but, hey, this is Belgium. They did the trick for a while - and then a new agreement would have to be found.

This time around, the negotiations of the past three years have been described as a battlefield of human relationships. Statements made off-the-record show that the politicians around the table still view each other as adversaries - as well as caricatures. Elio Di Rupo (PS) is effeminate and hysterical, while Bart De Wever (N-VA) is a fascist, and a coarse one to boot. So much for a sense of complicity.

Still, something seems to have changed. De Wever gave an interview to the German weekly Der Spiegel, calling Belgium the "sick man of Europe" and causing predictable outrage. In the Flemish press, the master of biting humour showed his more sensitive side. "Looking back on the past 10 years, I see nothing but meeting rooms and tasteless sandwiches," De Wever said in Het Laatste Nieuws. "Are those the best years of my life?"

He had even come to appreciate his main adversary, Di Rupo. A gentleman, he calls him - someone who can only be admired, given his life story. Three years ago, De Wever's N-VA campaigned against the "bow-tying" of Flanders, a reference to Di Rupo's signature neckwear. Knowing what I do now, I would never do that again, De Wever says.

The critical illness of mediator Johan Vande Lanotte's mother, which seemed to have moved De Wever, too, has led to some delays in the talks. By now, no-one minds. Maybe the Christmas spirit will further soften up the negotiators. That way, something good might come out of De Wever's past 10 years after all.