Tuesday 24th of December 2024
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the EU fails to make an effort to understand other countries....

The European Union needs to stop “lecturing” other parts of the world and be more respectful towards its partners if it aims to combat the growing influence of Russia and China, European Council President Charles Michel has said.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday, Michel admitted that the bloc has become “convinced that we know what is right and what is wrong” and often fails to make an effort to understand why other countries may think otherwise.

 

EU must stop lecturing world – European Council president

 

He noted that in the EU there is a “reflex which is close to a form of lecture” when communicating with developing countries with which the bloc has signed agreements on strategic, trade or political cooperation.

“We are not always very good in terms of communication, in terms of explanation, in terms of talking with them and showing a certain respect to them,” Michel said.

He also suggested that the EU should review its approach to enforcing its standards and regulations on trading partners, giving fishing rules as an example. 

“We use the vocabulary: yellow card or red card,” he said, pointing out that “the words we use are really humiliating because we give the impression that we are a player on the pitch and at the same time the referee.”

The EC President’s remarks came as dozens of world leaders gathered in Russia this week to attend the 16th BRICS Summit. The guest list included the presidents of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye - a NATO member and EU candidate country.

Michel suggested that the fact that the leaders of these countries, who are also “very close” to the EU from an economic and military point of view, chose to attend the BRICS Summit suggested that they “want to send a message to the rest of the world.”

“One of the emirs in the Gulf countries once told me if there is a vacuum, very quickly someone will fill the vacuum. And if you are not there, others are there,” Michel recalled, stressing that the EU needs to find “a new approach” to win over countries that wish to diversify their economic and security alliances.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed earlier this week that the BRICS group is not based on “friendship against anyone” and, unlike the EU, its members are not bound by mutual obligations.

He explained that BRICS represents an “association of countries that share common values and common guidelines” and are committed to the universal principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit. The EU, on the other hand, is an organization that has clearly defined rules, binding documents and a “whole set of mutual obligations,” Peskov said.

https://www.rt.com/news/606444-eu-stop-lecturing-world/

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

another idea....

The EU is seeking to buttress its sanctions against Russia over concerns that Donald Trump could derail Western efforts to isolate the country if he wins the US presidential election, Reuters has reported, citing informed sources.

Officials within the bloc are discussing several initiatives aimed at making sure that the EU’s restrictions remain in place for a longer term, even if Washington changes its course, the news outlet wrote on Friday.

According to the sources, Brussels is considering bolstering its sanctions against Moscow by enforcing them more tightly.

The measures that are being considered include “catch-all” clauses to identify and stop suspicious Russia-bound goods shipments and wider oil shipping curbs, they told Reuters. Customs officials should be allowed to hold up shipments if the destination seems “illogical,” such as crossing Russia to reach Central Asian countries, the sources explained.

Another idea is to alter the current requirement that a freeze on Russian central bank assets must be renewed by EU members every six months, making these intervals 36 months long instead, the report read.

Around $300 billion worth of Russian assets was blocked by the West after the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. Most of the frozen funds are being held in the EU.

The EU nations were “wrongfooted” when Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the international Iranian nuclear deal during his first presidential term between 2017 and 2021. The bloc’s officials now “fear a similar about-face” on Russia if the Republican presidential nominee is re-elected on November 5, two people told the agency.

"Any softening by Washington would leave Europe in a difficult position, as it is the US, with sweeping powers to punish sanctions busting globally, that primarily enforces the rules,” Reuters noted.

During his campaign, Trump has repeatedly suggested that he could cut US aid to Ukraine if he returns to the White House. He has also dodged direct questions from journalists about whether he wants Kiev to defeat Moscow, instead claiming that he could end the conflict within 24 hours. Last week, the Republican nominee insisted that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky “should never have let that war start. That war is a loser.”

READ MORE: Russia to seize income from frozen Western assets – finance minister

Speaking at the BRICS Summit in Kazan on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the West’s “unlawful unilateral sanctions” and interference in the affairs of other countries are actively undermining regional and global strategic stability, as well as encouraging “interstate strife.” The belief in the US and EU that they will be able to deliver a strategic defeat to Russia through economic restrictions and backing Ukraine is “a mere illusion,” Putin said.

https://www.rt.com/news/606418-eu-sanctions-trump-ukraine/

 

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

mic cut off......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNa8b0jeskQ

The U.S. Has Enslaved Europe w/ Mick Wallace

 

Mick Wallace, a firebrand politcian from Ireland, was a Member of the European Parliament from 2019 until the EU elections held in June 2024.

During his time in the EU Parliament, Wallace and his Irish colleague Clare Daly earned international renown for their fearless criticism of EU foreign policy.

On October 24, 2024, Dimitri Lascaris spoke to Wallace about the EU’s rapid decline and the US government’s stranglehold over EU foreign policy.

Lascaris and Wallace discussed a wide range of foreign policy issues, including Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the Ukraine war and the West’s increasing billigerence toward China.

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

“It’s hard to do cartoons without anger…”

         Gus Leonisky