The Threat to National Independence
Weak armies, illegal immigration, debt, energy dependence, and unbalanced trade are all undermining the European nation-state, argues Juan Ángel Soto Gómez.
Weak armies, illegal immigration, debt, energy dependence, and unbalanced trade are all undermining the European nation-state, argues Juan Ángel Soto Gómez.
Asian countries have long had a back-up system in place, independent of the dollar, for funding foreign trade. However, to date it has not been used for the financing of regular trade transactions.
For the first time in two years, the presidents of China and Russia met in person and used the occasion to reaffirm their shared vision of the future in a joint statement covering multilateralism, restriction of NATO expansion, and moving away from the U.S. dollar.
The European Union’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton is drafting a new law to secure the European supply chain in both emergencies and normal market conditions. Some fear it will include measures that give the EU power to seize private property.
The main culprit for the drop in exports was a decrease in sales to the EU caused by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the new trade barriers with Europe. The UK lost 24% of its sales to the EU, worth £2.4bn.