[John Bruton] [EU] member governments need simultaneously to ramp up arms production for Ukraine, pour money into the Green deal, provide for the healthcare for an ageing population, and manage the debt inherited from the Covid epidemic, while still respecting the Maastricht budgetary criteria.
Tag: Europe
World is a Dangerous Place Now. Think Things Through Carefully
[John Bruton] Ambiguity is often the enemy of peace. The First World War arose from ambiguity in the pledges the powers had given to one another in the event of attack. If the pledges had been clearer, the risks might not have been taken.
Ireland’s Coming Gas Shortage !
[John Bruton] The potential crisis of natural gas supply is simply accelerating a wider underlying electricity supply problem in Ireland.
EU Must React to UK’s Intent to Ditch Provisions of Northern Ireland Protocol
[John Bruton] The best approach for the EU will be to gradually turn up the heat on the UK so as to give them time to learn that actions have consequences, and the price could be very high.
What’s Happening in Ukraine is Opposite to What Putin Wanted
[Nicholas Lovric]
Russia’s aggressive actions and threatening rhetoric driving many nations in Europe to opt for NATO membership.
What Lessons are to be Learned from U.S.’s Afghanistan Exit?
[John Bruton] The experience in Afghanistan and similar experiences elsewhere suggest that there is a strong temptation on USA's part to turn inwards and reduce commitments to the defence of other countries, including the European ones.
What Lessons are to be Learned from Article 16 Row?
[John Bruton] The more disharmony there is between the UK and the EU, the greater will be the political problems for both parts of Ireland.
UK’s Sovereignty over Northern Ireland Partially Sacrificed under EU-UK Deal
[John Bruton]
The latest EU-UK agreement gives the UK more sovereignty over the island of Britain, but loosens a considerable measure of its sovereignty over Northern Ireland.
What does the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement Mean?
[John Bruton]
The new agreement between the EU and the UK would eventually shape up a system for ensuring fair trading and uninterrupted mutually beneficial business between the two in a post-Brexit Europe.
‘No-Deal Brexit’ Still Possible
[John Bruton] Deal or No-Deal, the EU and the UK will gradually draw further apart, as will Ireland and Britain. Irish people will need to pay much more attention to politics in Paris, Berlin and Warsaw, and a little less to the English speaking world.
Brexit Issue in the EU Summit
[John Bruton] Nobody wants a disruptive “No Deal”. But a poorly drafted, last minute, Agreement that, within a year, breaks down in a multitude of legal disputes would be no use.
European Commission’s Independence must be Preserved
[John Bruton] The weakening of the institutional independence of the Commission is very damaging to European integration and to the interests of smaller EU states. This should be of concern to the European Parliament.
Oped Column Syndication 