Thoughts: Will the Euro eventually lead to the disintigration of the European union just like the first concept currency. "ECU" which I read about european currency unit which got screwed when the germans decided to strengthen the mark instead of the united currency thus hurting the british which undoubtedly collapsed the whole concept. This certainly makes understandable why the british are very very reluctant to go through the ringer again.

My thoughts are going around the concept of a house of cards that EU represents. The problem I see with it is if the EU will have to deal with a real defeat in some area which will upset the elquilibrium it operates on and they will enforce some rigid structure which would break itself apart. Granted such scenarios seem far from likely but only one is usually needed. So far EU has been relatively unscathed by any realistic events which could test its cohesiveness. Most of the issues it faced were minor and fairly quickly resolved.

I always see Europe as divided because that is what makes it great lots of little countries that are cutthroat competitors with each other. A united europe is more stagnant & slow as well as very very wasteful (money wise).
The extra layer of beuracracy thats being built in is leeching into the ground of business and crushing any innovation and competitiveness. Thats how I see it your opinions and views are welcome.

The problem with the Euro and the EU in general is that you have the big countries like France and Germany trying to bully the rest of the states. The EU will always be flawed. I highly doubt you'll ever see an EU army.......

My thoughts are that eventually there will be a clash of idiologies or over enforcement of some type and there will be a drift but i stick by what i said at start too.

But the main problem is action and indisiciveness of the whole thing. The easiest thing I could see is to have a constitution similar to US where 75% of the states need to ratify something in order for it to be an amendment but you cant even do that because sovergnty is preserved. Or at least it should deal only with international things. They want everyone to be equal but thats not realistic, if you think about it. I think they should have some base equalities for all and additional things for countries risking/providing the bulk manpower/financing. Should definetely be weighed to population somehow like a house of representatives where each nations gets the amount of votes for ex 1 per 1 mil residents.

A common and integrated economy will create a substantial force of cohesion in crisis. The EU presently has no intentions of raising a Europe armed forces. For these and other aspects, a very good source for learning is the EU's website:

Europa (http://europa.eu.int/index_en.htm)

The NAVO until now is purely a defensive force, actualy the differences between the European countries and the need for compromises , many times frustrates decisionmaking, but will virtually guarantee that for example countries like Germany and France will not get colonial tendencies again, while the Russians are not too happy about NAVO F-16s patroling Lithuania airspace next to the Russian border, I think a lot of Russians would agree that the NAVO has a much less agressive posture than the Americans during the cold war and that the NAVO is willing to cooperate with our Russian neighbours for a peacefull and prosperous Europe.

The East-West conflict has been replaced with a North vs South conflict wich has forged new alliances between western Europe and Russia, still a lot of Western Europeans have the luxury of complaining about what's happening in Checnya for example, but I think that when the violence is brought to our doorstep (like the bombings in Spain) it will lead to more people voting for an iron fist approach (not to say that this is a good thing, but violence has a nasty habit of breeding more violence) :m:

I pray tht the Eu totally disintegrates, I'm british, I detest the EU and everything it represents.

The EU is a farce and a con, it will ruin the UK. I hope it fades into non existence just like the European language "Esperanto", another failed cheap European idea.

A common ecconomy provides ecconomic incentive to have itself... But it doesn't provide incentive to risk ones neck or capital for the sake of the other... Also disagrements and national goals play into it. Like supporting home industries which germany always does(ex: volkswagen is protected from takeovers by foreigners, so is deutchebank *i think they were about to lift protection recently from vw*) Farmer subsidies in every nations to protect agrarian roots of oneself.

Personally the only nice things for EU is the ecconomic clout it exerts but other then that its mostly useless. Even more idiotic is that its eventually going to become a trade barrier in itself by its own making beurocracy levels skyrocketing and creating barriers for those outside as well as inside their sphere of influence playing to the controling interests. Eventually this thickening of trade barriers will make it reddundant and more of a problem then a solution which will desintegrate the whole web. But its trying to survive by growing which only adds more problems but does non the less add more clout and appeal. This however makes it more likely it will fail in the longterm.

The euro itself is a sham in my opinion I read a book about Soros who described how he made a killing on Sterling and he traced it all to one thing the ECM (european common market) and the ECU (european common unit) first attempt at currency. The british got screwed by Germany when it helped itself stabilize after union disregarding British recession which killed the whole system more or less in the end. Cant really describe it well but if you read the book "Soros about Soros" its a nice comparison between then and now and how its all cycling through all over again.

Banking system control by a foreign governing body which in this case is basicly (France/Belgium/German and no, no other members control it. Creates a bit of a my problems come first mentality. Banking systems are the lifeblood of a country and giving its control to someone else is becoming a depandant rather then independant entity thats ruled from the outside as well as inside especialy during bad times.