I live in the World of reason and opportunity and not in the world of fear of the unknown (which, for that matter is not that "unknown", it may only be unknown for the old EU). Anyway, with the things are going right now I don't predict that the EU will survive another decade. At least not in this form. So we don't have to do nothing to "prove it". We just wait and see.
And Poles do have an outstanding and quite impressive skills when it comes to adapting to a changing politico-economical environment trust me on that :-)
Next you will say Poland can go it alone on the world market, it will be equal to China, Russia and the US...and the EU will suffer for it.
Equal to Russia? That's an insult. Russian economy, the economy of 140 billion nation, is more or less the size of the economy of Spain. Not to mention that it's not diversified and based mostly on export of crude minerals, gas and oil.
I know that Germany is building a strong bonds with Russian over the Central and Eastern Europe heads and despite Russian aggressive behaviour.
I think Poland shall find a decent fit in the new order, being in the centre of Europe and having a well-diversified economy. Poland should focus all its attention on 3 Seas Initiative and Emerging Europe cause that's where the most opportunities to grow for a developing countries of Europe are. And not be just a producer of components for a German industry.
I can see how this could be seen as a threat to Germany but the position of Germany has significantly weakened in the recent years. Some of that has happened thanks to your wrongdoing and some problems were external, but a fact is a fact.
All that is going to happen to eu is all the countries will take as much of the old uk business as possible for themselves. As if russia will survive a decade with such a garbage economy. Lol. Spain...lol again. You would have to aim pretty low to aim at an economy like that. Its a prime example of incompetence.
And Poles do have an outstanding and quite impressive skills when it comes to adapting to a changing politico-economical environment
Yeah...and what a happy past this was...tell me again how often Poland vanished from the map or were occupied or jailed...
After throwing away the only tool which allows Poland to sit on the table with the big boys and NOT being ignored/ruled by them you will need these survival skills again, for sure!
Why you deem that smiley-worthy is again beyond me though....
Is this the end of muslim and african immigration to Germany?
The new statistics say that 2017 1,551 Mio people immigrated into Germany but 1,135 Mio people left. That makes a "surplus" of only 450.000 people. That is near equality compared to 2015 as the surplus was about 1,1 Mio people.
Most of these newcomers in 2017 came from other EU 140.000 countries (239.000 people). Mainly Romanians, Poles, Croats and Bulgarians. Next biggest group was Asian (140.000) and other european/non-EU countries (60.000).
From Africa came last year only 35.000 people! Also the immigration from Syria (60.000), Afghanistan (4000) and Iraq (16.000) decreased heavily compared to 2016.
I guess there won't be any islamization of Germany anytime soon...not with these numbers!
Another good news is that one of the 9/11 terrorists (Mounir al-Motassadeq) gets now kicked out of german jail (after 15 years) to Morocco. Even as the North African countries still don't belong to the so called "safe" countries where deportations are allowed (thank you Greens).
Good to see that the common sense prevailed this time and even the hard core leftists were to smart to protest his deportation with some tearjerking support of the "poor guy" and how he might be frowned upon at home... and how Germany can't allow such "torture".
After throwing away the only tool which allows Poland to sit on the table with the big boys
It is not Poland that is destroying the EU, it is Germany and their irresponsible politics over the course of the last years.
And also, if UE is a tool then it is a broken tool. And broken tools need to be replaced or repaired. And the position of overly socialistic UE is weaker and still getting weaker every years as compared to the US and China.
Also, there's no need to leave the UE for Poland cause like I said, the EU will either collapse itself or it will change in a way that suits more conservative societies.
Even traditionally "progressive" societies are becoming more conservative these days. Apart of Germany, France and Sweden which in a long run are lost Italy and Austria are showing a sings of life.
So the best strategy for Poland is to build new alliances like Three Seas Initiative and strengthen the old ones like Visegrad 4 to have a better starting position in the new European order.
It is not Poland that is destroying the EU, it is Germany and their irresponsible politics
Germany is one of the few countries that is keeping the EU together, because it is still willing to show solidarity without which the EU can not exist.
Populist governments like Italy are the ones who seek to destroy the EU, not vice versa.
Germany is one of the few countries that is keeping the EU together,
...and letting the hordes in is part of the EU rules. Did I get it right? Was Poland ever told that the EU is more than an economic union and that whatever one country does in a fit misguided generosity, other members will be obligated to accept and participate in regardless of what harm it will cause them?
Why do I have this feeling that Poland was never informed it would be dealing with the German remorse and guilt almost a century after the fact.
Should the US abandon NATO because we cooked some Japs and now feel just terrible?
Oughtn't though the very nature of the EU be re-visited before deciding that those who are critical of, among others, Chancellor Merkel, are necessarily out to "destroy" Europe?
I too, although an American, see definite chinks in the armor of "solidarity", moreover, that Merkel and others of her supporters might be taking European liberal sentiments just a little too much for granted:-)
Why do I have this feeling that Poland was never informed i
You have a lot of feelings about things, usually misguided like this one. The fact that the EU was always more than an economic entity was never secret, and for all plain to see in the 90s at the latest.
and letting the hordes in is part of the EU rules
The refugees were there in any case. Instead of ketting only the border countries shoulder the burden, it would have been appropiate to divert it on many shoulders. Poland has been very eager to demand solidarity in the past, but it failed to show it when it could have helped.
Apparently though, the EU was never quite as popular as she once thought, hence the entire Brexit, not to mention the internal discontents in Germany, Poland, and other countries, I'm sure.
You're not wrong here, but I feel the issue is far more complicated than it seems.
Nonsense and a post-fact justification. Nowhere in the EU documents does it say that any country can on its own admit and redistribute any number of OUTSIDERS who enter the EU illegally without prior permission. All people movements were supposed to be unrestricted only for the member countries, not Asia and Africa.
I don't tread. I write exactly how I see things. "Dangerous" to whom and how? Just curious, why did you decide not to comment on the contents but rather express concern about my well being? What was your motivation?
Nowhere in the EU documents does it say that any country can on its own admit and redistribute any number of OUTSIDERS who enter the EU illegally without prior permission.
Indeed, and nothing of this sort happened. It was not Germany who let the refugees into the EU (that would be Italy and Greece) and it was not Germany that let them into Schengen (that would be again Italy, Austria er al.) The decision to allocate the refugees among the Eu was also not made by Germany, but by a vote of the other EU states.
Can't we just let the refugee problem die it's natural death?
As the new numbers show there is no such crisis anymore....we still have a problem with showing those the ropes who abuse our generosity but there are no new waves storming our borders....
we still have a problem with showing those the ropes who abuse our generosity
The desire to integrate has to come from the arrivals, without that no programs can work, with it, no programs are necessary....
It should be over now!
You do realize that sub-saharan Africa is forecast to undergo a massive population explosion from 1 billion to 4 billion within the next 100 years or so, those trying to cross the mediterranean now are just a few drops of a coming flood....
It was not Germany who let the refugees into the EU
So what? My question still stands: by what logic or the EU rules, the countries you mentioned have the right to impose the results of their stupidity on others, like Poland?
Isn't the EU supposed to be run by unanimous consent with veto powers given each state?
Further, if the problem has diminished lately, is it because the EU is better able to stop the invasion or as a result of other factors?
Isn't the EU supposed to be run by unanimous consent with veto powers given each state?
No. Where did you get that idea from?
consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/library/library-blog/posts/new-council-qualified-majority-voting-rules-in-effect/ explains the voting rules. It's called Qualified Majority Voting, or QMV for short. All member states agreed to it by ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon.
Under that insane rule, if it is in fact there, Poland can be outvoted and forced to take ALL of the foreign garbage other member states don't want, for example.
I would appreciate a simple yes/no answer, not an essay.
If you continue calling it as you see it, perhaps then you need eye glasses because your vision is highly out of focus. Complex issues don't need quick fixes:-)
You didn't think things through before you typed that "yes". That "yes" would make it possible for 15 EU members to outvote 13 (or whatever number it takes) and make the 13 a depository of everything the 15 do not want - refugees, nuclear waste, garbage, factories that pollute, and on and on. A total nonsense.
How to solve the migrant situation in Germany at present. That's one of many others. Hitler also thought of the world in a simplistic, almost Manichean fashion; good vs. evil, big, bad Jew vs. "superior", near perfect Aryan etc. If a people are sickly, get rid of them, if another are "different", subjugate, isolate, then, exterminate them. Conscience??! The stuff of weaklings and ne're do wells. Christian duty??! Hah, pagan boldness, bereft of thinking and cogitation's good enough for Germany! And finally, "democracy"??!! Don't make us laugh...
So asking a follow up question is now baiting? Is the question I just asked also baiting? Never mind. Your statement "Complex issues don't need quick fixes:-)" was baiting in that it begged the question I eventually asked. If that statement were made in good faith, you would have voluntarily provided the top six or so examples what those issues are. Instead, you just threw a grenade into the water to see what come up.
So, let's rewind this tape with you stating plainly, not in a rapid fire English, what those complex issues are and what is the best way to approach them. You could even number them for easy referencing. What you did is signal that you don't expect any coherent and fact-based answers.
to what problems? You just turned tables on me. It was you who wrote about complex problems not easily solved with simple solutions. I will be more than happy to suggest mine after you explain what solutions didn't work so far when applied to the problems on your list.
Without that extra effort on your part, your statement is general and not conducive to a rational discussion. It's like complaining that wars are bad. Even my 7-year-old granddaughter knows that.
Again, if you want to hang it up, I am OK with that.
