Yes, but only if you hold firm.
VDL et al have a history of doing the exact opposite, no matter how many times this has proven a failed strategy. Somehow they even seem surprised he responds this way, again and again.
Let's hope they've learned but so far there's been little reason to think they have (frankly the fine was already reduced by billions under what the DMA allows, most likely out of fear).
It's fine to disagree but don't make it like I said something I didn't.
When it comes to defence we are still spending the vast majority of our money on US weaponry rather than investing it into our own economies and helping our companies scale up. There's a balance but the tilt is quite wrong at the moment and has been for decades. There's no genuine effort into any kind of shared defence continent-wide (just ask Commissioner Kubilius).
The US is ordering ASML to stop exports to China and we are willing to even engage with the US over this instead of just giving them the finger. ASML has an extremely powerful position.
Everything we do is done with such fear of the US and to the degradation of Europe, even the steps towards our own independence are constantly cast in this light.
I am not further engaging in this conversation given that you twice chose to read words I never wrote.
I never said anything about cold turkeys.
But given that it indeed takes several years to transition an existing system urgency is needed. Every day we wait or half-heartedly do something it only takes longer and only creates more risk and long-term harm.
As for hardship - we're not exactly a poor continent. There's a whole lot we can do to support people and even (small) companies were it needed.
A year ago or so I would have tepidly accepted this as an argument but there's nothing that shows any sense of urgency. It's not that there's nothing happening but it's nowhere near the level it should and there's still a sense of just waiting until he's gone. Except he was already gone and came back, which was completely predictable and he didn't fall from the sky to begin with.
The US had to be in a place where this was possible to begin with. The Democratic party offers zero genuine opposition safe for a few individuals but the establishment does everything it can to keep them out of power. No matter who takes office next, it's unlikely things will change for the better and even if so every four years the situation can go 180 again. The US is not just not a reliable partner, they've become an adversary and to some extent they always have been. We were just refusing to see it.
When it comes to defence and technology there's no coordinated effort to change things around. Trade is moving but slowly. The EU has the ability to crash the US economy tomorrow but we won't even use that fact as leverage.
Sycophancy, real or pretend, does not work. In the history of humanity sycophancy has never improved the situation and often made things worse. Appeasing a bully is the absolute worst strategy. And there's no need - we hold a tremendous amount of power but we refuse to believe in our own strength.
We really need to take the fight to our own leaders.
Trump et al are despicable and a force of evil, but if Europe would actually stand up for itself, harnesses the power it already has and brought some urgency to our actual sovereignty this would not be happening.
And we, all of Europe, urgently need to wake up to the reality that this isn't some blip. This is the US with its mask off. Sure, it may be a few degrees worse than it used to be but the US has never been a genuine ally. People really need to stop hitting the snooze button.
It is ridiculous and embarrassing that we allow this to happen to us and that we spent literal decades not stepping up our game.
It's funny in a weird way how this is now voluntarily for companies and the US tech giants have jumped on it while European companies reject it.
There may be a few exceptions either side, but by and large...
We need to fight CC2 in each and every way, and I presume the final battle will be in the courts, but it seems we also have to fight the functioning of Parliament now. While the way this extension passed may have been technically legal it was wholly unethical, void of decency and completely against the spirit of the EU.
Not sure how Denmark is not a full member of the EU - having opt-outs doesn't change your membership status.
That said, the timing of Denmark chairing the Council of the EU last year couldn't have been much worse (not unlike Ireland while there's a lot happening in digital sovereignty currently).
I find the A series a little boring, feels like so many banknotes that already exist and what quite annoys me is that some have pictures and others paintings of people. I would strongly prefer them to be the same (and ideally painted in that case).
I'll concede :D
Those are good points. That said, while I understand the politics behind it all from a moral standpoint I find it indefensible.
Well, hindsight proves it. I would argue foresight already showed it.
There were other ways to do this, especially coordinated and supportive of the EU countries hit the hardest.
Obviously Orbán was a disaster but still many sanction packages got past while he was still in office. It's not enough of an explanation.
As for point 2 and 3 - we could have shared the burden. If in a practical sense country A gets hit the hardest, then country B and C can offer support (more likely through some general mechanism, but still).
It's just absurd short term thinking, the longer it lasts it only costs us more but also for Ukraine. Death by a thousand cuts just seems a ridiculous strategy in this context.
Nihilism and misanthropy are weird terms to use here.
Good they took the network down but these are telling misnomers.