Can they do it on less than the 2% of GDP they were supposed to contribute (but rarely did) to the joint NATO effort?
“Can they do it on less than the 2% of GDP they were supposed to contribute (but rarely did) to the joint NATO effort?”
The EU made some sense as an economic union. But even that has failed. The norther economies have devastated the southern economies. Those countries do not have the same political interests. Already they all hate Brussels, which is busy dictating how many sheets of toilet paper can be in a roll and how much it can weigh and what color it can be.
Imagine the problems of building a military and then deciding how you are going to use it when none of the European countries share any common interests.
The EU military would be used in Europe against other members of the EU. It’s for damned sure they won’t use it against Russia. If Italy decides it won’t abide by the EU toilet paper standards they would be invaded and occupied and forced to pay for the occupation as well as have their toilet paper taxed as a punishment for not obeying the standards. Then, they’d install cameras in all the Italian bathrooms to make sure they Italians weren’t using some other toilet paper.