Thank God for the EU

Actually, God is maybe not the one directly responsible for the EU, but my deep heartfelt thanks go to all those who are.
I have just spent a week trying to get a Belarussian friend in Gdynia a visa for the Czech Republic. What a nightmare. First of all two hours standing in a queue at the Consulate only to be told there's a 5 page application form to be filled in by the applicant (she'd got the invitation letter, permission letter, passport, photos and fee to me but hadn't seen the application form itself...)
So after a frantic exchange of emails, the form is filled and sent to me, but you know what? It wasn't printed in colour with the red squares showing so it's not valid, and oh, didn't we say? you can't apply for her she has to do it herself. The Consulate lady helpfully told me that if she lives outside of Warsaw (which she does, on the North coast) there's another consulate at Katowice (kind of her to mention, only that's even further South than Warsaw, nearer Krakow so worse than useless).
So now, she can either come to Warsaw early next week and apply for the visa herself hoping they'll finish it in two days in time for her to attend her seminar in Prague, or give up and stay in Gdynia. I, on the other hand, can pop over to Prague tomorrow if I fancy. Unfair, yes.
God bless the EU.