Could someone please explain the EU to me?

[dre]

Just now, dialamah said:

I see.  Sorry for misunderstanding.

Its all good!

[JamesHackerMP]

Ok we've gotten way off topic.  We're not talking about the US House of Representatives here, or democracy, or meritocracy.  that wasn't what I asked about.

[SpankyMcFarland]

For all its faults, the EU remains one of the greatest free trade zones ever created. It brought prosperity and peace to Europe. 

[JamesHackerMP]

What is the difference between the European COUNCIL and the COMMISSION? What are their functions exactly?

[-TSS-]

I hope the EU won't get dismantled like the former Soviet Union but it needs to return being solely a union concerned mainly with trade between the member-states and those outside the union. There would never have been Brexit and the rise of anti-EU parties across Europe had the EU not sought a close political union.

[JamesHackerMP]

What the UK could demand at this point, by brexiting, is a kind of reconstruction, something along the lines of what you're talking about; but maybe make it more "democratic" and responsible to the voters.

[Cum Laude]

On 3/14/2017 at 5:38 PM, -TSS- said:

I hope the EU won't get dismantled like the former Soviet Union but it needs to return being solely a union concerned mainly with trade between the member-states and those outside the union. There would never have been Brexit and the rise of anti-EU parties across Europe had the EU not sought a close political union.

Merkel wanted to secure Trump’s political and financial support for the Ukrainian issue, thereby confirming Germany’s role in Europe as the main watchdog for the United States, and herself getting indulgence for the next term within the framework of the kanzlerakte.

Trump refused it and publicly sent a signal to Moscow (did not shake hands), saying, guys, do what you want with Ukraine (only with Ukraine?).

If this interpretation of events is correct, this again confirms the idea that Russia, Britain and the United States form a new Entente against Germany and consciously dump Germany and destroy the prospect of the Fourth Reich in the form of a new project of the European Union.

It seems that Europe is on the verge of huge systemic reformatting.

[bush_cheney2004]

7 minutes ago, Cum Laude said:

...It seems that Europe is on the verge of huge systemic reformatting.

 

Agreed...U.S. SecDef Donald Rumsfeld said as much years ago (i.e. "Old Europe").

The U.K. gets it.....“Never be separated from the Americans.”  - Sir Winston Churchill (1955)

 

[-TSS-]

The EU has spent this weekend its 60th birthday as the Treaty of Rome was signed on this date in 1957.

It's a false celebration though as the EU emerged out of the EEC only after the Maastricht-treaty which was negotiated in 1991 and the due to the Danes rejecting it in the first referendum it was passed only in 1993.

[overthere]

The main purpose of the EU is purported to be trade, but let us not forget the other one, which is less talked about.

 

The Euros spent many, many centuries klilling each other for fun,  culminating in a giant Euro  war in WWI, then unbelievably escalating into the global reach of WWII.  The second world war was ,more or less unthinkable in 1919, within 20 years it set the world afire.  The EU is  itself the ultimate treaty, instead of exchanging harsh words and settling old debts, the new apporach is to integrate economies so thoroughly it gets much harder to start  shooting, the cost overall is prohibitive.  In the last 67 years there have been some big dustups in Europe: the Balkans(inevitable). German integration, collapse of the Soviet Union and changes to all those former Commie countries.....  But they have not had a big shooting war amongst themselves.  Has there EVER been a period that long in Europes history as relatively calm as this one?

 

Kudos to the big brains in Brussels for getting this far.

Edited March 26, 2017 by overthere

[SpankyMcFarland]

On 3/14/2017 at 8:08 PM, -TSS- said:

I hope the EU won't get dismantled like the former Soviet Union but it needs to return being solely a union concerned mainly with trade between the member-states and those outside the union. There would never have been Brexit and the rise of anti-EU parties across Europe had the EU not sought a close political union.

One problem with that is Russia and a retreating US. 

[Rue]

On ‎2017‎-‎03‎-‎12 at 3:14 PM, SpankyMcFarland said:

For all its faults, the EU remains one of the greatest free trade zones ever created. It brought prosperity and peace to Europe. 

Did it> Ask Spain, Greece, Italy, Britain. Norway at this poiint...I think you will get a different answer than Germany as to the above.

Did it really level the playing field for have not Euro countries? Not sure it has. I think it entrenched some pretty antiquated protectionist

tarrifs that have harmed farming but I do concede there had to be unified economic policy and trade in Euro and it has done good and bad things.

I am no economist. I think however from y very limited partisan view I think its most benefitted Germany. Then again they are the most advanced industrially and their work ethic is strong compared to France, Spain. Greece. Portugal, so its hard to compare whether that has a lot to do with it.

From what I can see the primary concern against the Union is immigration.  Not sure it brought peace. If anything its taking down the borders has brought a real social security issue in many countries now to the forefront. The lack of borders has a connection to the war in Syria and across the ME and the terrorism we now see in Europe.

Not a good time to be suggesting Germany and France are enjoying peace or anyone else in Euro. Terrorism is a real issue now as never before not withstanding in the past the IRA, Basques, Beider-Meinhoff gang, etc..

Edited May 18, 2017 by Rue

[Rue]

The EU was designed to facilitate trade for multi-nationals just like NAFTA and other such agreements. Multi-nationals see inter-government tarrifs a restruction on their ability to move and sell goods quickly. Borders are a direct impediment to multi-national business transaction. It is that simple and that complicated. If you facilitate movement of business and trade between borders in theory that should help everyone-in reality national governments become dependent on multi-national economic interests and therefore policies and you get people like Trudeau elected-dimwit figureheads who pose for photos but have no control or involvement in the actual economic policies being developed and determining our employment and level of prosperity.

We all know this. We all watch the control over food prices, gas and electricity, the dollar value on world markets. Its controlled by banks following closely with the multi-nationals storing their money in them. Its a war of multi-nationals competing for shrinking resources against the biggest monopoly predator of them all, China.

The other irony is the no.1 industrial activity remains military industrial by far and it remains the no.1 source of income in Canada. the US, Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Russia, China, South Korea, Taiwan and I believe now Brazil and Sweden.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Rue

[Wilber]

On 2017-03-21 at 5:33 PM, Cum Laude said:

It seems that Europe is on the verge of huge systemic reformatting.

We better hope not. Its last "reformatting" resulted it the two most costly wars in history. I hope the EU can continue to evolve and work toward solving its issues. Germany will continue to be the economic power in Europe, that's just geography and demographics. Nothing to do with a "Fourth Reich".

[SpankyMcFarland]

5 hours ago, Rue said:

Did it> Ask Spain, Greece, Italy, Britain. Norway at this poiint...I think you will get a different answer than Germany as to the above.

Did it really level the playing field for have not Euro countries? Not sure it has. I think it entrenched some pretty antiquated protectionist

tarrifs that have harmed farming but I do concede there had to be unified economic policy and trade in Euro and it has done good and bad things.

I am no economist. I think however from y very limited partisan view I think its most benefitted Germany. Then again they are the most advanced industrially and their work ethic is strong compared to France, Spain. Greece. Portugal, so its hard to compare whether that has a lot to do with it.

From what I can see the primary concern against the Union is immigration.  Not sure it brought peace. If anything its taking down the borders has brought a real social security issue in many countries now to the forefront. The lack of borders has a connection to the war in Syria and across the ME and the terrorism we now see in Europe.

Not a good time to be suggesting Germany and France are enjoying peace or anyone else in Euro. Terrorism is a real issue now as never before not withstanding in the past the IRA, Basques, Beider-Meinhoff gang, etc..

I'm taking the longer view. Europe has rarely experienced such a period of prosperity, and peace between European states, as the EEC and EU have brought. The current wave of terrorism is not EU-specific. If you look at Ireland there is absolutely no comparison in standards of living between now and before joining the EU. Poland has seen extraordinary benefits as well. Countries are free to leave if they think things are so terrible. Germany has been the dominant country in Europe for over a hundred years, long before the EU came along. The euro was badly thought out and premature but that is small beer compared to other advances over the decades. BTW Norway never joined.

   

Edited May 18, 2017 by SpankyMcFarland

[JamesHackerMP]

Perhaps part of that long period of peace was also due to a common threat and the security umbrella of NATO.  If anything, the EU has been passing away that common goal, not helping to foster it.  If Europe is torn apart again, it will be Brussels fault, not a thing that occurred despite Brussels best efforts otherwise.

[-TSS-]

The main difference between the USA and the EU is that in the EU the constituent parts pretend to be independent countries when as especially in the case of smaller memebers such as Finland about 80% of the legislation emanates from the central-government in Brussels.

My prediction is that give it 15-20 years more and there will be none of this pretending to be independent countries. It will be the United States of Europe.

With the British being out of it and thriving.

[Moonlight Graham]

On 2017-03-13 at 7:23 PM, JamesHackerMP said:

What is the difference between the European COUNCIL and the COMMISSION? What are their functions exactly?

You can find that Wikipedia.

[Moonlight Graham]

I don't like how far-reaching the EU is on so many policy matters, but as an economic bloc it's a great idea for Europeans to have a united Europe in order to use this combined economic/political power to negotiate foreign trade deals etc.  The UK and France on their own each have populations of only 65 million compared to the US with 325 million so are unable to have political and economic influence on par.  The EU as a whole has a GDP comparable to the US and China and therefore has far more power as a bloc.

Seems like the EU has integrated far too much though in some areas like currency and immigration policy and undermines sovereignty of individual countries.

[taxme]

On 3/11/2017 at 9:13 AM, dre said:

Sure here's a quick primer.

The main two components of the EU are the EP (European Parliament) and the ECB (European Central Bank).

The EP consists of 751 MEPs who are elected in their home country. They vote on legislation. The EP is seen by many though as being undemocratic because the EC (Commission) is unelected and not accountable to the people of EU member states. Only the commission can propose legisation, elected MEPS cannot.

Unfortunately they DO get a lot done. They have very successfully destroyed the ability of Europeans to govern themselves through their elected officials. They have enacted thousands of laws that are imposed on EU member states and taken much of the power away from European voters and vested it in the EC.

Isn't that how communism works? The government(EC)will dictate the rules that the slaves must abide by. The EC appears to be a part of the globalist elite plans to control the world thru unions such as this European union.  When people who are unelected get to run a country or countries one has to realize that this will not be good for the people.

Ask the people in the old communist Soviet Union what it was like when they had to live under an unelected dictator like Stalin. Millions died unnecessarily. The European people walked right into a trap set by their traitorous politicians. You know, those politicians that are suppose to work for the people, but instead really end up working for the globalist bankster elite. The elite were also trying to get an North American union going but so far it has not happened as yet. 

[-TSS-]

There is a clear rift in the EU these days as the eastern member-states stubbornly refuse to dance to the tune of Brussels. There have even been demands that Hungary and Poland should be expelled from the EU.

[SpankyMcFarland]

A magical place where the locals roam without charge:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/eu-wireless-roaming-1.4162212