European Union: Discussion Thread

UAE rejects 'racist statement' by EU’s Josep Borrell

The UAE has rejected the racist statement by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the inauguration of the new European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium.

In a statement issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), the ministry expressed its rejection of Borrell’s remarks, characterising them as racist and noting that these statements contribute to a worsening climate of intolerance and discrimination worldwide.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, represented by the Director of the European Affairs Department, Mohamed AlShehi, and the Deputy Assistant Minister of Political Affairs, Reem Ketait, summoned Paulsen, acting Head of the Mission at the EU Delegation to the UAE . The Office of the High Representative was asked to provide a written explanation of the High Representative's hurtful and discriminatory comments.

Borrell’s remarks are a disappointing development that comes at a time when all parties are aware of the importance of respect for other religions, cultures, and ethnic groups, as well as values such as pluralism, coexistence, and tolerance, the ministry said.

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-rejects-racist-statement-by-eus-josep-borrell

An interesting post I just found in an Italian telegram channel

Authoritarian Poland was built to intercept every last penny of the EU and strengthen itself.  Post-1992 Italy has been destroyed to its foundations so as to make it impossible to spend even the money they give it.  Multiplication of decision-making centers (primarily regions), destruction of technical offices, contrary selection for public administration and politics, etc.

From an Italian telegram channel.

The European Parliament today passed the Nature Restoration Bill, wanted by the elite to advance the green agenda. The Italian newspapers present it as good news for the defense of the environment.

The truth is another.

20% of land intended for agricultural use will have to turn into scrub (they call it restoration, they play with words as usual).

Do you know what is happening in Holland? Well, this is it. Farmers will be forced to sell off or expropriations will start.

This sets the stage for the food famine in Europe that the New World Order of Rothschilds and Rockefellers would like to implement in 2025. This was originally supposed to happen in 2020, but Trump in the White House has slowed down their plans.

You will own nothing and you will be happy...

At least food production in Russia is expanding but I suspect EU countries would rather eat Crow than Russian food.

When the grain deal expires lots of animals in Europe are not going to have enough feed so perhaps the price of meat will go down for a bit?

Europe Brain Drain: 30,000 Tech Specialists Move to China, by Fantine Gardinier for Sputnikglobe.com. 07.20.2023.

Experts told Sputnik that Western policies have created a "toxic" work environment for many researchers who are more interested in science than in politics, helping drive their migration to China. Beijing could capitalize big on this with more incentives to relocate, but it could bring China and Europe closer together, too.

A recently released report by the US-based company Strider Technologies accused the People's Republic of China (PRC) of infiltrating Western technology firms and institutions as part of "a machine that facilitates the transfer of European technology and talent to the PRC."

The report notes that over the past 20 years, more than 30,000 senior employees at European technology companies have moved to China, in some cases starting up their own firms to compete with their Western counterparts.

Strider CEO Greg Levesque told US media that China "sees leadership in the semiconductor sector as vital to its military and commercial goals and nothing will deter it from pursuing those efforts. Legal and trade barriers in the US will only push them to ramp up operations elsewhere."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected the report, telling a US newspaper that Strider "has previously published a series of reports full of false information smearing and attacking China. China's exchange of talent with foreign countries is no different from other countries."

Jeff J. Brown, author of The China Trilogy, editor at China Rising Radio Sinoland, co-founder and curator of the Bioweapon Truth Commission, told Sputnik on Thursday that about 40 years ago, "western research became pay-to-play, for-profit and still is."

"Before the 1980s, most research grant money in the West came from government sources - agencies and foundations - so there were fewer commercial and ideological strings attached. With Reagan/Thatcher neoliberalism starting in the 1980s, those grants dried up, thus big corporations filled the breach offering funding, but now with, ‘We are paying you and these are the results we want,'" he said.

Brown said that a "venal, toxic and revolting work environment" arose in the years since as a result, adding that "is it any wonder Western professors, researchers and scientists are flocking to China, where science is still pure science, the search for truth lives large, and the sociopolitical ambiance is collegial and relaxed?"

The steady migration of researchers into China makes sense, given the sociopolitical environment and atmosphere in which grants are given. But despite the fears about a Western "brain drain," Brown noted that "The halls of Western academia and research are still full of professors and scientists."

"Most of them are not adventurous enough to pull up stakes and move to China. Nevertheless, there is a feeling that those who do so are among the best and the brightest, more interested in the pursuit of pure science, rather than cranking out papers paid for by Wall Street and Big Pharma."

“China pays very well, it is a safe, clean and modern country, with no garbage and transport strikes, no riots; inflation is low and the sky's the limit in terms of basic and applied research, with plenty of a-political, non-commercial grant money,” he noted. “Therefore, where would you like to do your R&D? It’s an easy question to answer.”

“Given the aforementioned dichotomy between Western and Chinese R&D, Beijing has already won the race. China Tech is unstoppable. It does not need Westerners in their universities and laboratories to achieve ‘Made in China 2025’, but they are nice leavening in the invention and innovation cake.”

Thomas W. Pauken II, the author of “US vs China: From Trade War to Reciprocal Deal,” a consultant on Asia-Pacific affairs and a geopolitical commentator, told Sputnik that more Europeans moving to China could be highly beneficial for both regions and lead to greater ties between them at a time that Europe is suffering from its proximity to the United States.

However, he noted that in order to coax more European talent to relocate to China, “they have to make it where the Europeans are going to feel comfortable coming and moving to China.”

“It's not as easy as some might think it is. What the Chinese government should first focus on is to create some preferential tax treatment and find ways to get companies to offer very rewarding contracts to people who are talented in science and technology. But, we should also be aware that many Chinese are also very good at science and technology and that when the Europeans come here [to China], they could be surprised by the stiff competition they'll have against their Chinese peers,” he said.

“However, it is important to have European scientists and talents come to China because they have a different cultural mindset and that different cultural mindset can also help Chinese people and Chinese companies have a better understanding of the global markets, as well as the science and tech world outside of China and outside of Asia,” Pauken asserted.

"But in order to attract them, they're going to have to find ways of preferential tax treatment, some type of subsidies, easy visa procedures. For example, international schools here in China are very expensive. I know that for sure, because my son goes to an international school. Hopefully the Chinese government can perhaps either allow companies that hire to maybe get tax free treatment on offering education grants to Europeans who have children who could attend international schools here."

Pauken noted the southern province of Hainan has a High-Tech National Industrial Development Zone “where they're trying to encourage a lot of foreigners to work.”

"Another benefit they have is a lot of duty-free products go through Hainan, and when they do spend in Hainan, they can get tax rebates as well," he explained. "Europeans don't claim they're interested in money, but you'll be surprised how often the Europeans are the first to ask for special [tax] treatment. Maybe it's because in Europe the taxes are so high, they might be looking for other places to go to improve their living standards and living conditions."

Pauken said that while the migration of high-tech specialists to China could have a big impact on the global tech race, there are still significant obstacles to the kind of exchange that Strider claimed was imminent, especially in the field of proprietary information.

"If it succeeds, it's going to be amazing for China because they will have a lot more progress and developments in their technologies. And this also could improve trade ties between Europe and China, which right at this very moment is going through some hard times, because the Europeans are too closely aligned with Washington. However, maybe if a lot of Europeans are coming here, this may encourage and inspire Europe to find ways of having deeper cooperation with China."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230720/tech-experts-migrate-to-china-due-to-western-pay-to-play-research-culture-1112017062.html

"Most of them are not adventurous enough to pull up stakes and move to China. Nevertheless, there is a feeling that those who do so are among the best and the brightest, more interested in the pursuit of pure science, rather than cranking out papers paid for by Wall Street and Big Pharma."

And that is at the core of the problem... western countries are angry that China appears to be doing to them what they have been doing to the world for centuries, but these western countries ignore the fundamental problem that science and engineering is broken in the west because it is commercially funded, which means things that can make a profit will be developed, but things that solve problems but might not make a lot of money are neglected.

You get results like treatments for health concerns developed instead of cures because ongoing treatment brings in more profit and adds the benefit that they might infect others and increase the base of customers who will be needing ongoing treatment.

In comparison a cure would suit a government because that person goes back to work and returns to paying taxes and contributing to society.

But it is expensive so governments would prefer to let big business pay for it all and reap the enormous income their chemical addictions are designed to create.

The collapse of European diplomacy is happening before our eyes, by Timofey Bordachev, Programme Director of the Valdai Club, for VZGLYAD. 03.06.2024.

There are several reasons why Europeans have gone so far down the path leading to their own world that is different from reality. First of all, they experienced a colossal shock just over 30 years ago.

The incident with the refusal of the ambassadors of the European Union countries to take part in a meeting with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov is an excellent example of what European diplomatic culture is now. The reason is quite simple - over the past 30 years it has practically lost the need to be diplomacy in the traditional sense of the word.

Despite the fact that among the ambassadors of the European Union countries in Moscow there are relatively educated and intelligent people, these individual characteristics no longer matter much. Everything is determined by the worldview of Europeans, which has become the opposite of what is necessary for civilized relations between states. And those observers are right who believe that in modern conditions the very meaning of having ambassadors of EU countries in Moscow becomes incomprehensible - after all, they still do not decide anything and cannot fulfill their duties in the way that is generally accepted. It would be much easier for everyone if these wonderful and not so wonderful people returned to their countries for a while.

There are several reasons why Europeans have gone so far down the path leading to their own world that is different from reality. First of all, they experienced a colossal shock just over 30 years ago. Since the 16th century, Europe was adjacent to Russia, which it could not defeat under any circumstances.

The excellent British scientist of our imperial origin, Dominic Lieven, wrote in one of his works that the Russians were the only ones with whom Europe had to deal who were capable of fighting with boundless courage, tenacity and self-sacrifice for their special, independent niche in the modern world.

Let's think about these words - the only ones of all civilizations towards which the West tried to behave aggressively. All the rest - the Great Chinese Empire, the ancient civilization of India, and many others - could not resist the decisive pressure of the West, which for 500 years expanded the limits of its power with fire and sword. They were somehow defeated by the West, even if after some time they were able to regain their states. Russia was never defeated. And let's try to put ourselves in the shoes of Europeans and understand their emotional state: for centuries, Europe lived with the trauma whose name is independent Russia. We ourselves, by the way, were never given the opportunity to understand what it was like to have a constant opponent whom you could never defeat.

Therefore, in 1991, when the USSR suddenly fell and a single state disintegrated, Europe found itself in a situation completely unknown to it. The most impossible wish of generations of European politicians and military men came true overnight. Just by itself, without a decisive military conflict and with the full desire of the Russians to join the “European family,” even if only as a student. Such a shock could not pass without serious consequences for the psyche of statesmen and ordinary citizens of European states.

Their entire foreign policy culture was brought up on the fact that Russia never allows itself to be pushed around or dictated to. And suddenly the West felt like a winner in the Cold War, without firing a shot. In a state of fantastic emotional shock, Europe began to build relations with Russia, as with a country that had finally suffered defeat. For several years, Moscow accepted the rules of the game that Europe offered it, took into account the desires of Europeans in the economy and developed its external relations with an eye on how this would affect the main direction - gradual “integration” with the European Union. The EU, in the new circumstances, found itself in the position of a demanding teacher, proposing numerous “partnership” programs with two simple objectives. Firstly, to ensure the interests of European business and make the Russian market even more open for it. Secondly, check Russia’s compliance with its instructions.

European diplomats had to become equally demanding teachers. For several generations of EU ambassadors in Moscow, the main task has become to monitor how well Russia fulfills its many obligations. As part of the implementation of this “honorable” mission, a tradition of communication with Russia was formed at various levels. And if at the level of heads of state or heads of foreign policy departments there was a conversation on equal terms, then below there was no trace of ordinary diplomacy.

European ambassadors did not simply become executors of the will of their masters in national capitals (this is completely normal) - they gradually turned into technical workers entrusted with the task of observing Russia and pointing out errors in its behavior. And the degree of their intellectual abilities was no longer assessed by their ability to play a subtle diplomatic game. The main criterion was the greater or lesser degree of hysteria with which they promoted a very simple agenda consisting of only demands. Moreover, their individual will and intelligence were increasingly firmly integrated into the system of rules and requirements that are common to all NATO and EU representatives abroad.

As a philosopher wrote in the last century, “in a collective, the individual mind becomes the servant of the collective interest.” And gradually, we add, it disappears in the sense that was originally a sign of intelligence - the ability to independently analyze the situation and make decisions. This problem has become so total for European diplomacy and politics that they gradually stopped even noticing it.

Moreover, European politics was changing rapidly. Finding themselves, through no merit, in the position of “winners in the Cold War,” Europeans feel a sense of deep moral superiority over the entire world around them. Except for the Americans, of course, whom they are simply very afraid of.

We have repeatedly encountered examples of interference by the European Union in the purely internal affairs of such important partners as China, or the still very friendly India. Not to mention states of smaller size and importance. So, last year, French President Emmanuel Macron seriously made scenes with Brazilians about how they treat their forests.

Let us note for the sake of honesty that the problem is also the reluctance of other countries for a long time to draw the attention of Europeans to the inadequacy of their behavior. As a participant in world diplomacy, Europe has come very far along the path to where there is no return to reality.

However, a reasonable question arises: what does Russia care at all about why our neighbors in the West have so lost the ability to correspond to the world around them? It seems that if the current military-political crisis is temporarily accompanied by a decrease in our level of diplomatic relations with the countries of the European Union, we can still get some benefit from understanding the reasons.

Firstly, if we exclude scenarios that are tragic for everyone, then Europe will still remain Russia’s neighbor and we will have to conduct a diplomatic dialogue with it again. Even taking into account that the underlying reason for the inadequacy of the Europeans was of a fundamental nature - the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR, we could have behaved more demandingly towards them earlier. For their own – and common – good. Therefore, we need to understand where Europe has its main weaknesses that make it impossible to conduct normal diplomatic interaction.

Secondly, we need to see what tragic mistakes the transformation of diplomacy into political notations leads to. As Russia develops relations with the countries of the Global South and our neighbors in the CIS, it is useful to be especially vigilant and ensure that we ourselves avoid even signs of European arrogance.

https://vz.ru/opinions/2024/3/6/1256764.html