The mood inside the European commission has not been so glum for almost a decade. Since 1985, when Jacques Delors became its president, the commission has enjoyed seven years of growing power and influence .its proposals, including those that created the single-market programme , made it the motor driving the European Community. But the recent wave of hostility to interference from "Brussels" has badly dented the commission's self-confidence. It is reluctant to make any proposal that could upset entrenched national interests, lest EC governments seek to trim its powers. The motor has all but stalled.