FROM THE WORLD OF EUROPE

 FROM THE WORLD OF EUROPE

There is a Europe with 750 million inhabitants, of which 446 million are part, with 27 countries, of the European Union. A very diverse continent, sometimes very disunited, but with many things in common. Nowadays we talk a lot only in European Union countries, but the continent as a whole is having an armed conflict, which is between Russia and Ukraine. This conflict that sucks many financial resources, in addition to human lives, made European countries smell again the smell of gunpowder, destruction, disorganization of life, with refugees and, in particular, created insecurity. In partnership with the United States, they managed to contain the conquest of Ukraine by Russia. And Europe lost with this conflict the energy source that kept its economy growing, Russian gas. The military conflict changed the basis of the European economy overnight.

As if that were not enough, the tariffs of the United States arrived, which hit the European economy, including in non-member countries of the European Union. The EU was last year choosing its representatives in the European Parliament and in its executive arm, which is the European Commission, while facing fierce competition from China in the automotive industry, one of the pillars of its economy. Adding to this the invasion of immigrants from Africa and the conflict in Gaza, which also does not end, there is a very complex portrait.

Last year a report came out by the former Prime Minister of Italy, Draghi, who said with all the letters that the EU needs to invest 800 billion euros per year to maintain its minimum level of competitiveness in relation to the United States and China. The fact is that Europe, in this geopolitical and economic complexity, is facing a situation that will require Europeans to take more action and less discussion and especially less bureaucracy. Europe is squeezed between Russia, China and the United States, both in the military field and in the political and economic field. Almost, if you run the animal catches, if you stay the animal eats.

The responses in the war of North American tariffs, which will greatly affect the European economy, are prudent, also because in the middle of the 27 countries there is Hungary, almost a clone of the Trump government, there is France in institutional crisis, and there is the new government of Germany, where the extreme right has gained an undesirable and dangerous political space for European democracy.

But one of the most forceful responses to this geopolitical entanglement of Europeans was to revive the economy with larger military budgets. That is, they will arm themselves to the teeth hoping that others will not react. It should also be mentioned that the EU has to find new markets, since China, Russia and the USA are losing, that is, the implementation of the agreement with MERCOSUR is no longer strategic, it is simply a necessity for survival.