this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025
387 points (97.3% liked)

Europe

2482 readers
1215 users here now

News and information from Europe 🇪🇺

(Current banner: La Mancha, Spain. Feel free to post submissions for banner images.)

Rules (2024-08-30)

  1. This is an English-language community. Comments should be in English. Posts can link to non-English news sources when providing a full-text translation in the post description. Automated translations are fine, as long as they don't overly distort the content.
  2. No links to misinformation or commercial advertising. When you post outdated/historic articles, add the year of publication to the post title. Infographics must include a source and a year of creation; if possible, also provide a link to the source.
  3. Be kind to each other, and argue in good faith. Don't post direct insults nor disrespectful and condescending comments. Don't troll nor incite hatred. Don't look for novel argumentation strategies at Wikipedia's List of fallacies.
  4. No bigotry, sexism, racism, antisemitism, dehumanization of minorities, or glorification of National Socialism.
  5. Be the signal, not the noise: Strive to post insightful comments. Add "/s" when you're being sarcastic (and don't use it to break rule no. 3).
  6. If you link to paywalled information, please provide also a link to a freely available archived version. Alternatively, try to find a different source.
  7. Light-hearted content, memes, and posts about your European everyday belong in !yurop@lemm.ee. (They're cool, you should subscribe there too!)
  8. Don't evade bans. If we notice ban evasion, that will result in a permanent ban for all the accounts we can associate with you.
  9. No posts linking to speculative reporting about ongoing events with unclear backgrounds. Please wait at least 12 hours. (E.g., do not post breathless reporting on an ongoing terror attack.)

(This list may get expanded when necessary.)

We will use some leeway to decide whether to remove a comment.

If need be, there are also bans: 3 days for lighter offenses, 14 days for bigger offenses, and permanent bans for people who don't show any willingness to participate productively. If we think the ban reason is obvious, we may not specifically write to you.

If you want to protest a removal or ban, feel free to write privately to the mods: @federalreverse@feddit.org, @poVoq@slrpnk.net, or @anzo@programming.dev.

founded 8 months ago
MODERATORS
 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the creation of a unified European military force, saying the continent must be self-reliant amid a persistent threat from Russia and uncertainty about U.S. support -- a situation he described as "this new reality."

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Foni@lemm.ee 21 points 6 days ago (2 children)

We need three things to build real military power in Europe.

  1. France must put its nuclear capabilities at the service of the whole.
  2. France must put its permanent seat at the UN at the service of the whole
  3. The whole must create a power that is sufficiently centralised and at the same time representative of the European people and their interests.

If you see this as viable, this option is viable. I choose to believe that all of this is an opportunity to make it happen.

[–] Delphia@lemmy.world 22 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Id say that the UK also needs to remove their heads from their asses and realise that they are part of Europe and act accordingly. Their ego over their past empire is poisoning them slowly. They are too powerful for Europe to not have but too weak to truly stand on their own.

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

As an Englishman, I'm still cursing the puppets who voted leave. It was mostly based on lies and half truths. A lot of us want back in to Europe. We just need to figure out how to clean house and make sure people understand what we are (re)gaining.

In the world that's coming, we need to stand as a united front.

[–] Foni@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

United Kingdom does not want to be part of the EU, and obviously we will not force them, if one day they change their minds they will be welcome but in the meantime the others cannot continue waiting and we must move now, now, without delay

[–] Scott_of_the_Arctic@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Brexit was the product of russian disinformation and social engineering. The margin was laughably small and Scotland was 60% in favour of remaining (anti immigration propaganda didn't address the massive numbers of English people already in Scotland). Most people in England would vote to rejoin at this point though.

[–] Foni@lemm.ee 2 points 5 days ago

Ok, I am delighted to hear that, vote the rejoin, in EU we will be happy to negotiate adhesion, but it does not seem something that can be resolved in weeks and the military union should occur in that type of deadline

[–] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 0 points 5 days ago

Brexit was caused by British exceptionalism. The people who wanted to leave wanted to leave because they thought UK is so great that it could bend the EU. People who didn't want to leave did so because they believed UK already had a good deal with the EU (and they did) because the UK is so great. Polling data backs that up because if you start asking about making "concessions" to rejoin the EU that "Yes" to rejoin turns into "I'd rather not".

Polling data from a year ago


REFV2. If tomorrow there were another referendum on EU membership, how do you think you would vote?

  • Stay out of the EU - 39%
  • Rejoin the EU - 61%

EURO. Would the requirement to adopt the Euro as currency change your decision to rejoin the EU if you would vote to rejoin?

  • I would still want the UK to rejoin the EU if adopting the Euro was a requirement - 35%
  • I would not want the UK to rejoin the EU if adopting the Euro was a requirement - 9%
  • I would only want to rejoin the EU if we were able to keep Sterling as our currency - 14%
  • Would vote to stay out - 39%
[–] Miaou@jlai.lu 0 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)
  1. goes against anti proliferation treaties, and 2., while desirable, is not directly related to the matter at hand.

Some people would rather bow to fucking USA administration than spend tax dollars (or euros) on military. Are you German by any chance?

[–] Foni@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago
  1. The treaty recognizes France as a nuclear power, a European army with France inside could easily argue as "heir" of that right.
  2. A first -order power, with true military intervention capacity in a global way, has to be able to block decisions at the UN, another thing is to remain in second. That is matter in hand, play with the elderly
[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 73 points 1 week ago (2 children)

What an idea, a military coalition to deter Russia from its worst impulses. I'm surprised nobody thought of this 75 years ago.

[–] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 49 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Now we also need one to deal with the US's worst impulses at the same time.

[–] bizzle@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

In fairness, this seems equally effective against an increasingly hostile US

[–] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

There were ideas for a joint European military relatively shortly after WW2. The project ultimately failed after nationalists won an election in France and wanted nothing to do with it.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 21 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Nationalism and doing things against the interest of the nation, name a more iconic duo.

Almost as if all the flag waving were just a distraction from them working for their personal self interest...

[–] Miaou@jlai.lu 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You got a link to this fanfic?

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)
[–] DicJacobus@lemmy.world 56 points 1 week ago (1 children)

NATO is effectively dead. Artifle 5 wont be honored by America. And the Alliance has trojan horses in it like Hungary under Fidesz.

Time for a new alliance.

Im writing tihs with the expectation that in my lifetime, the US is going to attack my country (Canada). The silence has been deafening on the American Jingoistic / imperialist talk in regards to us.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

And please, this time make it possible to eject someone in peacetime with a 3/4 or 2/3 vote.

We'll see what happens. Unfortunately the Europeans don't have the same cultural affinity as we do and seem a bit behind on understanding the situation.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I don't know about that. What if Poland goes right wing Russian for a single election. Gets ejected. Russia invades Poland. Then what? If you are then going to protect them, there was no point to the ejection.

IMO it needs to be a permanent union to be strong. Like the United States after the Civil War.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 6 days ago

If you are then going to protect them, there was no point to the ejection.

The point would be they can't vote on things during that period, and you have the option not to defend them. As it is, with no ejection mechanisms, we're seriously talking about NATO invading itself now.

IMO it needs to be a permanent union to be strong. Like the United States after the Civil War.

It's funny choice of example in light of the US being the problem here. That being said, it was after that point a country and not a supranational organisation. They had a federal government with direct elections, and when states got out of line they could and did federalise the local national guard.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 34 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yes yes yes and yes.

We should also have boots on the ground in Ukraine IMO. This madness must stop and it's not the american clowns that ate going to do it. Next step for them will be to lift the sanctions.

[–] pressanykeynow@lemmy.world -1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

You can already go there and join their foreign legion, actually it's been 3 years for you to have your boots on the ground. The fact that you are here and not there means you and those upvoting you want someone else to die for your militaristic fantasies while you chill in the comments.

I'm sure I'd be a major asset to the foreign legion with my flat feet, sleep apnea and ADHD 😂

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What an incredible stupid take.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works -1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

We should also have boots on the ground

So that 'We' means 'other people'?

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Do you think boots on the ground means people travelling all alone up to the warzone by themselves?

You're just trolling.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works -2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

No, but it is very easy to volunteer other people's boots.

[–] Comment105@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago

We're a sacrifice he's willing to make.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 13 points 1 week ago

Ukraine:

could y'all for me do at minimum something?

rest of world:

mmmaybeee…

I think it would be best to go to a world before 2014 and stop the occupation of Crimea. That would stop all parasites like Putin to get any ideas.

So build a time machine.

Or a big f. army.

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 9 points 1 week ago

Probably going to need a Eurasian army to take on Oceania and Eastasia.

[–] FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] A_A@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Your post (link) is better in 2 ways i.m.o. :
1- based on more reputable source :
Zelenskyy: ‘The time has come’ for a European army – POLITICO and,
2- it was posted 5 minutes before

Other links to the same :
community: !europe@feddit.org
post viewed from Lemmy(dot)World :
https://lemmy.world/post/25604480

[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Donald Trump is going to see this as a direct threat to national security and will preemptively attack the netherlands

[–] SupraMario@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

And rename it hisland.