Munich Security Conference 2026

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Sister Sara

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Time to act to compete with US and China, say EU leaders

Interesting RTE report highlighting the real quandry of EU States collaborating and progressing a unified stance for international commerce.
The news report would suggest that the much vaunted largest single-market in the world is not as dominant a market player as may be perceived.

As much as I hate to admit it, but my guess is Trump has shook the order of things that may be revealing some cracks between the EU member states?

And while most British commentators (at least the ones I listen too) lament the UK leaving the EU and the 'damage' caused, I hear very little of damage caused, if any, to the EU losing one of its largest trading members in the world.

Indeed, reading between the lines on this brief report

' "We share a sense of urgency that our Europe needs to act," said French President Emmanuel Macron, standing next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.'

The two - who disagree on many of the possible solutions :oops:

Many of the leaders shared the same sense of urgency, and of frustration at the lack of progress, much of which they are themselves responsible for, in further unifying member states' economies.

"We need to act fast and we need concrete decisions by June. If, in certain areas, we are not advancing as 27 we have the right to opt for reinforced cooperation (among fewer EU members) to go faster."

To me, it does not sound like a Europe united in common interests.
 
That's what happens when you're not run by an autocratic dictator. The likes of Putin have it sorted, they just tell the people what to think and oppress any opposition.

Within my small family, there are no two people whose goals are fully aligned, to hear that 27 nations of 450 million people are not fully united in common interests shouldn't surprise anyone.
 
Absolutely @Leo.

So I'm wondering what the urgency to act fast now is? An urgency that I cannot recall being spoken of over the last 50yrs or so.

Merz: Freedom is no longer a given

Pretty ominous language I would have thought from the German Chancellor?

'Friedrich Merz has told the Munich Security Conference that the world order as it has stood for decades "no longer exists" '

This follows Rubio Rubio warns ‘old order is gone’

The times-they-are-changin' as some might sing.

Or maybe its nothing but a bit of diplomatic bluster and we will laugh it off in time as some are probably doing now.
 
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Sister Sara said:
"We need to act fast and we need concrete decisions by June. If, in certain areas, we are not advancing as 27 we have the right to opt for reinforced cooperation (among fewer EU members) to go faster."
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Off with ye then, we're staying neutral

The only thing I'd swap out triple lock for would be a commitment to never allow Irish troops to serve overseas.
 
Inexpensive said:
The only thing I'd swap out triple lock for would be a commitment to never allow Irish troops to serve overseas.
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So no humanitarian missions, no close protection of our President or Taoiseach, no peace keeping missions, nothing.
 
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We are not in NATO. That's good.

We have no Navy and no Air Force, at least none in any real or meaningful way, but have a maritime area 7 times the size of our land area through which a large proportion of the data cables connecting the EU and US run. That means we are especially vulnerable to Russian attack.
We also host a large number of data centres but we are not energy independent. We get the extra energy from interconnectors which also run through our unprotected maritime waters.

Since we are not a member of NATO those data and energy cables can be attacked by Russia without triggering a response from NATO. We are the soft underbelly of the EU. That's not good.

I don't want to join NATO. The alternatives are A) we spend many tens of billions, possibly hundreds of billions over a few decades, building up our defence forces so that we protect ourselves on our own or B) we spend far less, but probably still tens of billions, so that we can defend ourselves in cooperation with our European allies. I don't think we are going to launch our own network of satellites so I'd prefer A.
 
Firefly said:
There has been around 1m Russian soldiers killed since the invasion in 2022. I'm sure the mothers & fathers of those soldiers are wondering the same thing.
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That's total casualties. The estimate for dead is somewhere around 250,000-350,000. That's still more Russian casualties than in every war combined since the Second World War. To put that in context the Soviet Union lost around 15,000 in their war in Afghanistan.
 
Firefly said:
There has been around 1m Russian soldiers killed since the invasion in 2022. I'm sure the mothers & fathers of those soldiers are wondering the same thing.
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OK but you're not addressing my question. Why did Russia launch its SMO which I'd acknowledge is now more properly called a war?
 
Sister Sara said:
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Its now 2026.

To repeat Macron: "We need to act fast and we need concrete decisions by June"
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There were concrete decisions; the biggest military aid program in the history of the EU and the biggest in Europe since the Second World War, a massive increase in defence spending in the EU and a realisation that Europe's holiday from history is over.
 
Purple said:
People have attempted to engage with you on that topic before but you are a Russian apologist and are incapable of a reasoned discussion on the issue so there's no point
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Reasoned discussion on Russia for you amounts to Russia bad.
 
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