European Union - News and Updates

A new package has been requested from EU leaders for the defence of Ukr.



Speaking at an EU summit in Brussels, Zelensky called on European partners to provide more funding for defence, weapons and the country’s resilience.

“The war will cost 155 billion euros next year. And we need at least 70 billion euros more from you - for defence, for weapons, and for our resilience. This is a realistic amount. And I ask you to find this support,” he said.
 
A new package has been requested from EU leaders for the defence of Ukr.



Speaking at an EU summit in Brussels, Zelensky called on European partners to provide more funding for defence, weapons and the country’s resilience.

“The war will cost 155 billion euros next year. And we need at least 70 billion euros more from you - for defence, for weapons, and for our resilience. This is a realistic amount. And I ask you to find this support,” he said.
While EU economy is going down the drain manifested in the various riots across France Belgium etc we're witnessing , trust the EU to ignore that & focus on funding never ending wars instead of focusing on ending it, shoring up their economy, boosting industry, welfare spending even & so on.

French members here are notoriously touchy when one brings this up to highlight their decline , that of Europe & the west in general while Paddy outrightly denies this is due to terminal stage Paddyitis . @BMD
 
While EU economy is going down the drain manifested in the various riots across France Belgium etc we're witnessing , trust the EU to ignore that & focus on funding never ending wars instead of focusing on ending it, shoring up their economy, boosting industry, welfare spending even & so on.

French members here are notoriously touchy when one brings this up to highlight their decline , that of Europe & the west in general while Paddy outrightly denies this is due to terminal stage Paddyitis . @BMD
Thank you for your concern about our economy, but your concern stems mainly from a lack of understanding of our situation. The protests – sometimes violent – that we are experiencing have always been a part of our history; every generation has its own. We are a grumbling people, never satisfied. It’s a luxury we can afford because our wealth – which stems from our productivity at work – is at a level you cannot even imagine. For example, France’s total debt is as follows:
  • Central Government: 2,942.1 billion euros (81.8 per cent of GDP)
  • Social security bodies: 309.4 billion euros (8.6 per cent of GDP)
  • Local authorities: €274.9 billion (7.6 per cent of GDP)
  • Various central government bodies (ODAC): €69.2 billion (2.0 per cent of GDP)
By way of comparison, the ‘great transfer’ refers to the transfer of historical wealth that the baby-boomer generation will effect by 2040: a cumulative total of approximately 9,000 billion euros will change hands in France.

If the government were to launch a ‘patriotic’ loan, as was the case to pay the indemnity demanded by Bismarck to release the territories he occupied during the 1870 war, it would be fully subscribed in a matter of days.

Bismarck had calculated the indemnity so that France would never recover from it.
  • The amount and conditions: Initially set at 6 billion, the indemnity was reduced to 5 billion gold francs (equivalent to around 25 billion francs at the time, or 15 per cent of France’s GDP).
  • Military occupation as security: The German army remained stationed in several departments in eastern and northern France as a guarantee of payment, which was normally to be spread over three years.
  • The first loan (June 1871): Launched on 20–28 June 1871 by Adolphe Thiers, an initial public loan of 2 billion francs at 5 per cent was subscribed to by French savers with such enthusiasm that it was oversubscribed by 2.5 times.
  • The second loan (July 1872): A further massive international loan of 3 billion francs was launched on 15 July 1872 to settle the remainder of the debt.
  • Early repayment: Thanks to the strength of French public savings and the support of major banking networks, the entire sum was repaid ahead of schedule. The last German soldier left French territory on 16 September 1873, well ahead of the originally scheduled deadline.