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This is not the first time Europeans are told to suffer higher costs of living for the sake of some ideals. And still, here we are, with those ideals nowhere near realized, costs of living growing to insane levels, and our basic rights at risk more than ever before.
What is this really about? If anybody in the EU seriously cared about principles, the EU would have never purchased Russian gas. And yet it still does, despite its own sanctions, through middlemen. Just like it still does a lot of business with the US, indirectly fueling several genocides at any given moment.
The EU should have never closed its factories and outsourced everything to cheap, third world countries. Alas, it was profitable, and in capitalism only profit matters. If only there was anything we could do about this...
Additionally, the EU should have confronted its reliance on the US as soon as the treaty of Maastricht was signed. And yet, nothing. Only more 'agreements' that greatly favour American interests, and put the entire EU at further risk.
I don't usually hate on the EU this much, but this is just Western imperialism. When the country is weak and the labour is cheap - all good, no problems. When it suddenly grows stronger - problem. It's like we just can't stop taking advantage of poorer countries, and then crying when they miraculously manage to win against all odds. Come on guys, colonialism supposedly ended over 100 years ago.
Also, if the entire EU stops buying Chinese solar panels... who exactly is it gonna buy them from? China produces 90% of the world's solar panels. Either we buy Chinese or we miss the climate goals by even more, because nobody else produces these devices. Unless they started growing on trees and I missed it.
I'm sorry, but this just looks like the EU once again doing the US Empire's bidding.
First of all, it's not about "some ideals" but about long term security and independence. Or are those optional in your opinion?
Second, when was the first time Europeans were told that? I can think of two cases: climate change and war in Ukraine. First let EU made huge progress on decarbonization and energy transition and second was only 4 years ago and let EU cut ties with Russia. Yes, EU should have done more and earlier but it's hardly some long running scheme to tell people that they have to suffer higher costs in exchange for nothing.
They are nothing but pointless slogans and fantasies. As I said, if anybody in the EU executive bodies actually cared about long-term security or independence, we wouldn't still be doing business with the US, Israel, Russia, India, or several smaller countries that simply act as middlemen between the EU and Russia.
It is absolutely true we should all be worried about that, and taking steps to ensure adequate plans and structures are in place. However, that's not what this is.
This is the US telling the EU to do less business with China, and the EU blindly following orders. It will not lead to better security or independence. The only things it will lead to are higher cost of living in the EU, and more money in American oligarchs' pockets.
What? You do realize the EU is currently importing approximately the same amount of gas from Russia as it was before the war, right? Except now we do it through middlemen like India, who charge an additional fee.
In the end, the EU still happily buys gas from Russia. Just for a higher price than before. Which means we're paying more for absolutely no reason. Because the EU, as clearly demonstrated in this and other examples, does not care about principles or its long-term security. If it did, it wouldn't be signing extremely predatory, one-sided trade agreements with the US.
Of course, it's not that the EU is evil and wants Europeans to suffer. The main issue is that the European Comission, Council, as well as Parliament, are all filled to the brim with foreign assets. Judging by who benefits the most from it - most likely American assets.
It sounds like you think you can redirect entire continent in a matter of weeks. Yes, EU still depends on gas. A lot of it is used in industries that don't have viable alternatives yet. This doesn't change the fact that many countries are investing heavily in renewables and trying to limit this dependence. Obviously it can't be done in a year or two but you're completely ignoring all the progress that was made because it doesn't fit your narrative.
Also, EU is working hard to stop importing weapons from US. This varies by country but for example Spain canceled their F-35 orders, other countries are also choosing European manufacturers now. This also doesn't fit you're narrative of "EU blindly following orders".
I can see we're not going to agree here. We clearly look at the same data and read it in different ways. I think your missing all the nuance. You think EU could magically cut all ties with Russia and US without terrible economical impact and they don't do it only because they are corrupt while in reality EU is doing a lot of progress but has to work against internal divisions and people like you, doing everything they can to undermine it.
No. I expect it to be done within years. In the last 20 years there has been next to 0 progress on cutting ties with the US or Israel. Only minimal effort in the last 18 months.
They are, and it's great. The problem is, this entire post is about EU's commisioner for climate action who calls to stop buying renewable infrastructure from China. Which accounts for 90% of all produced globally. So he's basically saying we should abandon renewables, for the sake of some delusional moral high ground over China. Which the EU is in no place to even claim.
This is nowhere close to being in the EU's best interest. The only beneficiary here would be the US, as usual.
One country canceled one order. Meanwhile Finland and Poland finalized their own purchases of F-35s, with Poland also ordering a lot of other equipment. Last year Germany finalized a 2 billion euro deal with an Israeli missiles producer. Similar deals in Italy, though on a smaller scale.
I could go on for several A4 pages. All it takes is one quick search.
The only people undermining the EU are American spies, agents, and other assets, who completely fill the rooms on all EU meetings, and who make anti-EU decisions every chance they get.
I agree, but
Colonialism ended after WW2, with the help of the US who didn't want other empires next to itself.
Slavery ended earlier.
Colonialism did not end after WW2. Especially the Soviet Union had a very large colonial empire. Partly inheriting the old Russian one, but the satellite states in the Warsaw Pact were basically protectorates. There are other examples like Indonesia in Papua or the weird quasi settler colonialism of Israel. Plenty of countries are currently trying to be more colonial masters. The US actions under Trump are fairly openly colonialist. Turkey is moving into northern Syria, Libya and Somalia for more influence in those parts of the world.
Oh and slavery is also still around. Not in the form of chattel slavery, although that is happening in Libya and Mauretania illegally as well, but in other form.
Portugal also retained their colonies in southern Africa well into the 1970ties.
True. I got carried away with the 100 years.
Though it looks like the dates matter little, since both are unfortunately still very much around.