Europe

Brexit is a populist fantasy, and people know it

Slowly but surely, the growing number of British people realise that they have been conned. Brexit is not working, and it never could.

Now, a sizeable majority believe that “the economy, the UK’s global influence and the ability to control our own borders have all got worse”.

A new referendum should therefore take place, as soon as politically viable. British people should have a say, and the opportunity to confirm the decision from 2016, or to reconsider.

If Russia invades Ukraine, it should feel the full brunt of sanctions

There is very little to no chance of NATO troops fighting in Ukraine if President Putin decides to invade. Everyone knows this. What remains unclear is how the rest of the world should respond. Doing nothing would be inconceivable and morally unacceptable. International community simply cannot sit and do nothing if Ukraine disappears as an independent nation, or if it is invaded and a puppet regime is installed. What is particularly chilling in this context is the shoddy pretext which is being discussed and which, if true, is so reminiscent of Hitler’s invasion of Poland.

The EU has no bite. Negotiate a new treaty, eliminate the Veto and get it back

The EU has lost its bite. The facts are overwhelmingly pointing to this reality, in the form of a failed attempt at controlling its access to vaccines, and putting itself at the top of the receiver’s list. The UK sailed ahead of its former diplomatic partner, partly due to a need for recovering from a crippling public health situation, but more simply because as the UK was making important unilateral decisions, the EU was still in the boardroom trying to convince the renegade governments of Poland and Hungary to side with it. They enacted veto powers to block crucial funding at a time the EU was negotiating a budget.

Good news in the struggle against climate emergency

“Sleeper trains in Europe are poised to make a huge comeback after four national railway companies announced new routes that will link up 13 cities across the continent. The announcement marks the biggest extension of the European night train network in years – it was just four years ago that Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s state railway, sold off all its sleeper cars, declaring them unprofitable because of low passenger numbers”.

This is truly excellent news, and we need much more of the same.

EU should abolish national veto and introduce alternatives

It is clear that this topic requires far more research and debate, but every suggestion should be welcome.

At present, national veto in the EU makes the whole system, in some areas at least, slow and inefficient. Examples range from tax policy to foreign affairs and others.

Let us unite against extremists!

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of this week’s European elections. They are likely to be “the most consequential parliamentary vote in EU’s history” (ECFR).