Just how important is Brexit to officials in Brussels?

Analysis: To us, Brexit may feel all-consuming – but, as Jon Stone explains, it isn’t the only thing keeping eurocrats busy

European institutions have a lot to contend with (AFP/Getty)

As The Independent’s correspondent in Brussels I spend most of my time covering Brexit – as do most of my colleagues here from other UK media outlets. While we do get to do other things, Brexit is blockbuster for us.

But it isn’t the only thing going on in the EU’s capital – far from it. I’m often asked to what extent eurocrats and other people around Brussels care about Brexit. What portion of their time does it take up?

The answer is complicated, and it depends how you calculate it. But it is very likely that if you were to go through every item of work the EU institutions deal with, probably less than 1 per cent relates to Brexit. For most people in Brussels, professionally, it is not that relevant.