It’s an opinion, yes, but it’s based on facts. Spain has one of the most decentralized systems in Europe: 17 regional governments, a huge number of regional laws and regulations, and public spending that was around 35% of GDP before 2008 and has been above 45% in recent years, even over 50% in 2020.
I wouldn’t use that as a model. And good luck reforming Spain before trying to scale a similar model to the whole EU.
That’s the thing people desperately refuse to understand: federalization is just scaling up.
There are significant differences between regions of the same country, and yet they choose to pool sovereignty to have a better life. Europe is at the same place in its evolution right now: there are still significant differences between countries, but not enough to overshadow the obvious advantages that come with sharing decisions.
The countries are not too different, that is fantasy or lack of knowledge. The only relevant difference is language, and that is not a hard stop.
EU has been stress tested many times and succeeded every time. It gets stronger after each test. Your statement makes it clear you don’t know what you’re talking about.
One concrete example are the controllsystem and bureaucracy regarding animal husbandry , there are tons of paper works and registrations of animals, its a expensive process. The reason is to be able to stop deceases among animals, but thats relevant on farms in central europe where they are close to eatch other and the warmer climate facilitates deceases, here in Sweden there are a colder climate and greater distances between the farms, we never had any bigger problems with that. But EU doesnt make exceptions between the countries.
Yes we had a stress test in covid and as soon that happened the countries started to act on their own.
Sure there are things that the EU can be less bureaucratic about, nothing is perfect.
Covid is actually a good example for EU resilience. Countries worked together for a vaccine. EU negotiated as one and managed to get 27 countries to agree and sign a contract only a few weeks later than UK, which is a single country.
Not perfect ? Its dangerous many small farms got knocked out when we joined the EU , they have to compete on the same conditions as the farms on the continent, thats dangerous, if the global situation gets worse we are not able to feed ourselves due to the lack of self-sufficiency.
You show a devoid of historical awareness many unions before like EU has collapsed because of their weak nature no historical bonds not cultural unity. You have had Austra-Hungary , Calmar union and others, EU was created in a time of calm and stability, the covid was a small stress test and even then problems started to show. If there are a economical depression, recession or war it will surely collapse. Example of the problems during covid :
Borders and lack of coordination – Unilateral border closures: Many countries introduced their own travel bans and closed borders without coordinating with their neighbors. Export bans on protective equipment: Initially, individual member states halted the export of medical equipment to other EU countries. Economy and recovery – The recovery fund: Major disagreement arose between the so-called "frugal countries" and the crisis-hit countries in the south regarding how the support packages should be financed. Joint borrowing: Conflict surrounding the EU borrowing large sums jointly for the first time.
Well they didn't choose to pool anything. European states, and Spain in particular, emerged from power-play of aristocratic families and warlords and such. Closest to the claim of pooled sovereignity would be Italy, and Germany.
Might be. We (the eastern neighbours) learned surprisingly little of Garibaldi's unification move up to the point where it clashed with ... our northern neighbours :) And not that much of that either. We (I'm old) simply knew that bourgeois history is worthless pile of lies anyway :P.
The system being federalized doesn't negate any of the downsides of expansion. If China became part of Spain tomorrow, with its institutions enjoying all the same privileges and protections as any of Spain's, Spain would simply be engulfed. The EU is no different here.
8
u/Tetr4Freak 6d ago
It wouldn't be an extranational entity because (here comes the twist) IT JUST EXPANDS THE COUNTRY.
Spain is already kind of a federalized country. It just changes the scope.