European Politics Thread

I think it's also preemptive action to the eventual fallout of the 29th of March, it's rather understandable to remember the EU the value of its ties in the face of the current political climate.

Article 13 was rejected, as well as 11: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/01/article-13-and-11-update-even-compromises-are-compromised-copyright-trainwreck

Ladies and Gentlemen we got em

Edited by Invincibleasshole on Jan 22nd 2019 at 8:27:50 AM

Yeah, talked about that last page. It ain't over though.

Greece's parliament has approved Macedonia's name change Which presumably means the now Republic of North Macedonia will be joining the EU and Nato soon.

Thank god!!! If that had gone wrong, there was a huge danger of Macedonia falling under the influence of Russia and/or China, and Russia would have used its influence to create chaos in the region.

Well, 'soon'. EU Accession is a lengthy process, and after the chaos of the last decade, the optimism that got a few countries in when they shouldn't has probably evaporated.

Sure, but countries which are in the queue so to speak already get a lot of help - and that includes money to help them to get on the same level of the other EU countries. And NATO membership is a little bit easier to achieve.

Well, that's some good news for once.

Who would have thought that Tsipras, who almost brought the EU to the brink at the beginning of his term, would end up paving the way for a European success story in these difficult times.

On a side note it must be pleasing to see for Merkel that the time and effort she invested in stabilizing the Balkans during her time as chancellor are now finaööy starting to pay off.

A German stabilizing the Balkans....now that's not something you hear everyday.

Don't confuse Austrians with Germans. We still like to think of us as different countries, thank you very much.

Merkel invested indeed a lot of time into the Balkans. One of the reasons she agreed that Germany would take all those refugees was because she wanted to avoid destabilizing the Balkans.

He got better once he stopped listening to his finance minister.

Edited by Swanpride on Jan 25th 2019 at 8:58:11 AM

Here are more information to Merkel's Balkan policy.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Process

And Germany trying to stabilize the Balkans has a long tradition.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Berlin

The difference now is that Germany actually tries to do it via consulting the small countries there, instead of deciding over there head with the Great powers.

Of course years of patient diplomacy between Kosovo and Serbia are now in jeopardy because Trump decided that swapping land between those (and thereby opening a huge can od worms e.g. regarding Bosnia) would be a good idea. Then again, what do you expect of someone who once thought the Baltic states were in the Balkans, or that Montenegro had an agressive foreign policy.... .

I don't see the name change changing anything, but if it makes you feel better about the lowly Balkans, go ahead.

So you don't think that Macedonia finally being free to join the EU and Nato isn't a big change and an important step in the peace process in the region.

Macedonia changing its name and having said name be accepted by Greece is an important step on dismantiling the (admitedly, historical) terrible reputation of the Balkans of being the powder keg of Europe, and if Macedonia joins the EU, that will make war between it and Greece an impossibility.

Not to mention that it robs of Russia of another possible Slav satellite country.

I'm kind of a pessimist, yeah. It's very easy for the next guys in line to use that stupid name conflict as a basis to get elected. Probably not Macedonia's though.

Luckily every leading party in Greece except for some far right or left party would probably take back their big promises in order to not anger the EU and NATO so my pessimism is rather unfounded.

As for war, really? I doubt it'd ever get this far UNLESS the EU and the NATO collapsed, and we got some WW3 brewing, which is rather unlikely for now. Sealand's more likely to declare war to the entire planet than Macedonia to Greece or vice versa in the current state of the world.

Oh, you are REALLY underestimating how dicey the situation in the region is - and how bloody the last war was. Which was, small reminder, in the 1990s. Just like Ireland this is not a situation to play around with.

Yes indeed. I might be underestimating the situation a lot. But. As I said, it would require a quite major mess to be created in the region and for the EU and NATO to just stand there doing nothing. And if something like that does come to be, then no naming agreements would end up mattering. Even as somewhat of a pessimist, I'm rather sure that's in no one's interest.

Maybe Russia's but they're already "friendly" with most of the Balkans.

Hey, now: the Troubles in Ireland are, like, totally solved. Only idiots woul— oh, ouch: thanks, Westminster.

Even the EU framework cannot compensate for determined idiocy. But, it does make going full idiot harder. I'm all for the Balkans gaining more EU checks and balances bit by bit that make idiocy just plain harder to do in practice.

Edited by Euodiachloris on Jan 27th 2019 at 6:08:36 PM

Let's also not forget about Turkey and its NotSultan! Erdogan and everyone's favourite Serbia. The region is still very fragile to in-fighting, especially with the far-right beginning to reassert itself in some countries.

Edited by raziel365 on Jan 27th 2019 at 9:51:56 AM

Also Hungary being... Hungary and trying to stir the pot to distract everybody from it being Hungary by kicking either Albania, Bulgaria or Turkey, whoever. You know, like since always.

Don’t know, Horthy-lite Orban is buddies with Erdogan the First in their wannabe dictator club.

Eh, if those guys could work with the Germans Austrians for nearly half millenium, I think their attitude can be controlled. Eventually maybe.

Where's an Habsburg when you need one?

Edited by raziel365 on Jan 27th 2019 at 10:02:43 AM

Being buddy-buddy with Turkey for now is kind of kicking sand in the faces of just about everybody else in the region (both those already within the EU framework and those without), though. And, anybody who invests in either Hungary or Turkey on the basis of the relationship remaining strong for three decades is a mug likely to get mugged, probably at gun point.

If everybody was firmly in the EU, however, a coordinated Strongly Worded Letter could be sent to Brussels to kick the whole thing into doing something. As it is... <sighs>

Edited by Euodiachloris on Jan 27th 2019 at 6:22:09 PM

I wish strongly worded letters worked.