EU is 110 million more people than USA, EU and a simmilar GDP, what is preventing us from becoming an independent superpower in a span 10-20 years? (Serious question)

https://i.redd.it/ymf9w6k4d5je1.png

by UnusualParadise

49 comments

  3. 32498 different languages, cultures and everything in between, everyone trying to pull crap to themselves, artificial borders and country-specific legislation (like goods taxes, etc), random customs checks at inner borders, and so on.

  4. Too many countries, too many agendas, too many politicians.

  5. We don’t speak the same language… that’s literally the only answer…

  7. The EU has the GDP of a superpower but the decision-making speed of a homeowners’ association. Between political infighting, slow growth, an aging population, and reliance on US security, it’s more of a ‘regulatory superpower’ than a geopolitical one. Unless it figures out an actual defense policy, it’ll keep punching below its weight while the US and China run the show.

  8. National interests!

    It would be almost impossible to turn a type of confederation into a federal country. Tax and spend in particular would be very hard to unify beyond what we have. Yes the USA has many local variations but they all sign up for the basics of income tax

    It would also present difficulties re foreign policy and the military.

  9. EU is not a country thats the problem, at least Con-Federation would help

  10. A lack of qualified majority voting, and an abundance of “lets blame the EU/the big countries”.

  11. The financial austerity promoted by north/Central European nations

  12. Austro-Hungary and Yugoslavia were a good examples why multinational countries don’t work.

    Like what in common has guy who lives in Sicily and a guy who lives in Lapland?

  13. The EU doesn’t have a similar GDP.  It has a GDP two thirds that of the US.

  14. –que nuestra apuesta es hacer felices a nuestros ciudadanos, no ver quien la tiene mas larga. Dicho esto si quieren ostias ostias habrá, sin problemas.

  15. Cultural divide that doesn’t exist in other superpowers

    Old population and declining population that is only going to get worse over time. Economic decline will come with this problem.

    Unwilling to give up quality of life for the sake of significantly raising the defence budget

    Too many people don’t want it

    Plenty of other reasons

    I think the biggest problem is getting every country to agree on things. Everyone has their own agenda and I don’t expect that is going to change anytime soon.

  17. We lack a true EU government and the various national governments have too much power.

    One of the biggest problems I see in the EU is that naive faith that close economic ties and trade will make none EU countries more friendly and open to us.
    An equally naive belief is that we have to play according to rules that other countries do not follow.

  19. Social media manipulation that backs anti eu, pro russian parties.

  20. After the last speech in EU from couch fuker JD, I think EU has two options, rise to the challenge or die.

  22. Europe lacks a cohesive vision of what a nation is, and lacks the drive/need to create it. Also, there are many small minded countries with leaders who would rather get rich off backroom deals with Putin and China and thus prevent the discussion from ever gaining momentum. Meanwhile their populations suffer.

  23. GDP growth is smaller than the US. The US will have a bigger economy given time, and the EU population is going to decline. Europe’s time as global powers is over.

  24. It is a collection of bickering nation-states that mostly hate each other. That should be obvious by now. And the EU government is just a machine filled with people eager to pass laws banning anything and everything.

  25. We are not one country, that’s pretty much the reason summarized.

  26. I don’t like my neighbour [random country nr. 1], because I’m from [random country nr. 2].

  27. Contrary to many redditors cries, UE is quite a significant power and many wish to be in our position.

    One particular element which we lack is military strength as a block. This is because for years Europe was safe and we saw ourselves as part of most powerful military block in the history – NATO. EU had few attempts to discuss creation of its army, nothing came out of these discussions. Possibly this is the missing element

  28. 90% ish of all the biggest companies come from the US. Unless we create EU-centric services and products to compete with US corporations, we wont be able to compete.

  29. history and a lack of common language and identity.

  30. Nationalism. Poor people want the pride to be what they are, they don’t want to be European, they want to be French, German, British etc. And half of the people of any large European country are POOR!!! So they will not unite with other countries unless pushed by the barrel of a gun, or not even then, they’d rather die poor but French, German etc, instead of safe, secure Europeans.

  31. We are not a federation, and there is no governmental body to fix that. There are fundamental viewpoints on economy, amongst other critical issues, that some key members can’t see eye to eye.

    Of course, that is until said member states are in some kind of a bind, and suddenly become all kinds of liberal on economy and conservative on external policy. The exact opposite of that they currently are.
    That bloc (Norway, Germany, Austria, and the rest) feel the Russian heat right at their boarders (see election interference, refugee crisis, asymmetric attacks, etc.), but still won’t go all in on a more centralized European policy/action.

  32. why tf does a country or region need to be a superpower?

  33. Because people dont want a European Superstate ruled from Brussels by people they didnt elect.

  34. Mostly the fact that we are a bunch of independent countries and not one big nation

  35. Basically the long it takes to reach consensus, Europe has more people, but they are fragmented, don’t think as one, as Americans do, it is American tech, but German tech, french tech, finish tech or Spain tech…etc. we don’t really harness the power of our internal market..and depend too much on US and China. We don’t have super strong multinationals. We focus too much on external borders while not paying enough attention to EU citizens needs, opposed to Americans and their huge focus on internal borders and being american.
    Probably when more reasons, many more. And I am not saying it is bad or not, just pointing some empirical facts

  36. I want to live in my homeland Sweden, not United states of Europe.

  38. Europe’s pride, hubris and self loathing is preventing it

  39. We are not a single country, what are you all blabbing about? We are a „union” only on paper. We have free trade and movement of people and some joint budget for projects to get the countries from eastern block to grow their economies so the western ones can have trading partners. That’s about it.

    We are not a single country, people from all over Europe hate each other with passion. I want to see Poles voting for German president of EU. Or French getting governed by Belgians.

    We are not getting federalized any soon. Get out of the Reddit echo chamber, this whole EU project feels more shaky than ever with all the Russian bullshit propaganda going on.

  40. Culture, language and local regulation barrieres is my take on this.

  41. sense of unity because these people speak dofferent languages, have different religions and think of themselves first and Europe layer. Spanish person wont feel oblidged to go to war and help Ukraine against Russia while someone from California would feel sttacked of Russia invaded New York

  42. USA here. We all want you to become strong and independant. Your success is our success.

  43. USA has a common language, common military, and a common history. The Civil War was a long time ago; the World Wars much more recent.

  44. …our national governments not wanting to give up power. Our national richest people not wanting a longer line to influence decision making.

  45. EU and Europe as a whole are not working together. There’s no feeling of solidarity.

  47. Some EU countries are shit hole and pull us down from most potential

  48. The European Union is already a powerful economy. It also has the potential to be a strong military power, but it is not like the United States, which is always ready to send troops worldwide. The EU has not built a large military industry like the U.S.

    However, if the EU spends just 2% of its GDP on developing its military industry for the next five years, it can become strong enough to defend itself and stop the Russian threat without needing help from the U.S. The EU has the money and technology—it just needs to invest in its defense to become truly powerful.

  49. Same language, same “culture”. Most european people think all other european people are beneath them.

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