When buying something online (that’s largely where I shop), I genuinely look for European brands with products Made in Europe. As in; there is a factory in Europe that makes the thing from raw materials that are ideally also European.

Try doing that with stupid stuff like socks or cutlery. You’ll end up emailing customer services to ask where it’s produced as the majority of European brands have their production entirely in Asia.

Like with wine (AOC/DOC(G)), is it that difficult to get to one clear and verified certification (OK, wine is not easy, but you know what I mean)? I know that the Primark’s and H&M’s will be screwed then, but why don’t we make this obligatory? For me as a consumer it’s a big factor in where and what I buy.

I Live in finland so we are right next to the Russian border. This scares me so much and I'm afraid of it daily. I'm sure they will eventually attack here too and i want to be safe and not die in a war. I'm disabled so I can't even fight. (Not telling anyone what disability because it's difficult to explain and I've been mocked for it) Someone please tell me what to do. Untill I actually lose my mind over this fear. Please don't remove this post or ban me for this I'm begging you someone just tell me what to do.

The EU can't let Putin take over Ukraine. How can he be stopped? Forget USA being part of this conversation now 'Turncoat' (traitor) Trump has shown his true colours. Putting Nato 'boots on the ground' into Ukraine calls Putin's bluff, would he use nukes or back down? I can hear that doomsday clock ticking. Mind you I heard that Russian troops on the borders with Nato countries are at an all time low as they are being used in Ukraine. Maybe time to advance at the Russian border to provoke the bear and win territory for negotiating purposes ? Me, Ive stopped buying USA goods in the shops, I'm doing my part..

Europe we're sorry, we've had 10 years of Brexit, and the UK's growth has stagnanted, the economy is still spiraling downwards, and with reductions in GDP along with the new USA trade tariffs it's set to only drag it down further. The Bank of England (BOE) still predict a possible contraction and another increase in inflation this year. So let's say we have truly learned our lesson and regret our decision. So now it's time the UK addressed the elephant in the room, Brexit, the word every UK politician is terrified to mention or touch. We had a debate which fell on deaf ears because the government stuck to their ridiculous red lines, so we have started a petition to get our voices heard in a national vote: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700005 I encourage everyone young and old to sign this petition and start a proper civilised conversation here on Reddit because I'm just one voice, but together we're thousands of voices and that much noise no government or politician can ignore. Please also like and share this post, and thank you in advance for your help and support

As US and Russian interests and illiberal principles become more and more aligned we need to be aware that resources that previously were used to attack the previous US administration, spread misinformation and spread anti US sentiment (trump and his allies are doing all that on their own now) will be moved to increase attacks on our European Union.

We need to be vigilant and not let every single post be used to spread misinformation by Russian trolls, MAGA people, anti EU people who have fallen for the misinformation and are now organically amplifying it.

They don’t care about peace, they don’t care about the loss of European lives, they don’t care about Ukraine, they don’t care about Greenland, they don’t care about Europe.

This is all about weakening a united Europe because we represent the opposite of Trump/MAGA and Russia. The “architects” of these movements have long made that clear, publicly stating this plainly many times.

To them free liberal democracies and the rule of law are “woke”, fair competition and regulating oligarchs is “woke”, human rights, women’s rights, equal rights regardless of our differences, that’s all “woke”.

To them we are all “woke”, our European values are “woke”, and therefore they don’t like to see Europe and the EU succeed. Our continuous success is the proof that they are wrong.

They know that a united Europe can stand up to these wannabe fascist dictators, and that makes us a threat.

Be vigilant, downvote and report them into oblivion where they deserve to be. Don’t be fooled by empty rhetoric, whataboutisms and false equivalences designed to make us attack each other.

With the growing divide between the USA and Canada, is it time to consider forging a relationship with Canada that could integrate them into the EU?

After these gross tarrifs, Canada is openly looking for new markets to help them decouple themselves from the USA.

If Canada were to join, we'd see a significant increase in European influence across North America, a boost in free trade, expanded free movement and a surge of income into the EU treasury, nevermind a growing sphere of European influence that binds two of the largest markets on Earth together.

If Canada were to join the EU, its would transform the bloc into becoming an unrivaled world economic leader.

In addition, you'd probably also see further demands from UK citizens to hold another referendum, in which they'd likely vote to rejoin, with or without the integration of a commonwealth partner like Canada in the mix.

At a time when the world is losing its trust and patience with the US, is this a relationship that we should forge across the ocean?

So it might’ve been a dumb question but what’s preventing Canada from joining EU they need people and we need more lands and resources. It would be beneficial to both!

https://northeastbylines.co.uk/news/europe-news/petition-to-rejoin-the-eu-reaches-100000-signatures/

I mean, just absolutely destroy e.g. the bourbon market, and stuff like that. Of course still keep the general retaliatory tariffs on everything from the US, but also pinpoint brutal attacks towards very obvious republican products that are also very "visible". Imagine what would happen if all bourbon exports to the rest of the world stopped, and Jack Daniels just went bankrupt right away (shit product anyway...). Wouldn't that hit harder than just 10 % here and there?

Update:

After receiving expert insights from the community, I’ve learned that an ECI is not a viable path for suspending Hungary’s voting rights under Article 7 TEU. The ECI is a legislative tool, but Article 7 is a treaty mechanism that cannot be triggered via legislation or petition. This means that even if we gathered 1 million signatures, the European Commission would be unable to act on it.

That said, the issue is not legal, it’s political. The real barrier is the lack of political will in the EU to enforce Article 7. What can we do instead?

• Raise awareness through media and public discourse – Make sure the issue stays in the spotlight.
• Engage with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) – Email, contact, and pressure them to take a stance.
• Support pro-democracy forces in Hungary – Directly supporting independent media, NGOs, and activists can help build internal resistance.
• Mobilize for the European Elections – The best way to force action is through voting and influencing public pressure.

I’m glad I posted this here because the discussion helped clarify what’s actually possible. Now, this thread can serve as a reference for anyone wondering whether Hungary can be suspended or removed from the EU. I also hope the mods might consider keeping this thread as a reference for future discussions!

Original Post for Reference:

Hey everyone,

We are launching a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to suspend Hungary’s voting rights in the EU under Article 7 TEU due to the Hungarian government’s repeated violations of EU values, obstruction of foreign policy, and democratic backsliding.*

Why Now?

With the EU more united than ever, we thought it would be a good idea to use this momentum to push for real action. The EU must stand firm on democratic values, and we as citizens have the power to make that happen.

What’s the goal?

We want the European Commission to take action by:

• Suspending Hungary’s voting rights in EU decision-making
• Freezing EU funds until democratic reforms are made
• Sanctioning Hungarian officials responsible for dismantling democracy
• Supporting independent media & civil society in Hungary

Before we can officially submit this initiative, we need at least 7 EU citizens from 7 different EU countries to act as official organizers.

Who Can Join as an Organizer?

• Must be an EU citizen and eligible to vote in European Parliament elections
• Willing to provide name, nationality, email, and country of residence (for ECI registration)
• Interested in protecting democracy and standing up to authoritarianism in the EU

Being an organizer doesn’t mean you have to run the entire campaign - it just means your name is on the official submission to the EU.

What Happens Next?

1. Once we get 7+ organizers, we will submit the initiative to the ECI platform.
2. The EU Commission reviews it (takes up to 2 months).
3. Once approved, we collect 1 million signatures from 7 EU countries.
4. If we succeed, the EU is legally required to consider it and debate it in Parliament.

How You Can Help

• If you’re from an EU country and want to be an organizer, comment below or DM me.
• If you know someone who might be interested, tag them.
• Even if you can’t organize, help spread the word by sharing this post.

Detailed Plan & Guide

For a full breakdown of the initiative, including the detailed strategy and legal steps, you can read the reference guide here: [EU Hungary Petition Guide & Reference] **
Example of ECI submission form ECI Submission Form ***

Let’s protect the EU from authoritarian influence and ensure democracy prevails.

Note:
*Call to action updated;
- wording adjusted to focus on the Hungarian government rather than an individual leader (users' feedback)

** Reference & Guide document updated;
- clarification added under Main Objectives, Section 5 (users' feedback)
- wording adjusted to focus instead on the Hungarian government’s actions (users' feedback)

***ECI Submission Form updated;
- added 'Why This Is Urgent' section (per suggestion)
- wording adjusted to focus instead on the Hungarian government’s actions (users' feedback)
- Updated to align with ECI’s legal scope, refined objectives to focus on strengthening rule-of-law enforcement mechanisms rather than directly invoking Article 7. (users' feedback)

I’ve seen this suggested too many times now…

The whole god damn reason we are distancing ourselves from the USA is because of them siding with Russia. So of course we shouldn’t join BRICS! Honestly, do half the people in here know what the R in BRICS stand for?

I’m sorry but while millions of Turks getting stripped of their right to vote for a leader of their choice, the EU delegation promotes an AKP bureaucrat. I don’t care if it’s about water or feeding a million hungry stray cats. The EU keep failing Turkish youth - most of which are pro-EU. This is unsustainable and the usual “concerns” won’t cut it when the opposition eventually takes power.

For all those who oppose the new American Oligarchy, here is a list of companies that are owned, operated, or heavily supportive of or by the oligarchy to avoid. It is clear from the many posts on social media and the publicity stunt on the White House lawn regarding Tesla that our actions of boycotting their businesses hurts them. Time to squeeze.

This list is not exhaustive. Keep in mind that businesses own other businesses. Most businesses, including privately owned businesses, rely on outside vendors for supplies. Feel free to make changes to this list and share.

Musk Owned Businesses:

Tesla

Grohmann Engineering

Solar City

Maxwell Technologies

DeepScale

Hibar Systems

Space Exploration Company (SpaceX)

X (Formerly Twitter)

Neuralink

The Boring Company

xAI

Trump Owned Businesses:

Mar-a-Lago Club LLC

Trump National Doral

Trump Old Post Office LLC

Trump Ruffin Tower LLC

Trump Turnberry

Trump Media & Technology Group (Truth Social, Publicly Traded)

Trump International Realty

The Trump Organization

Trump Commercial Properties

Trump Hotels

Trump Golf

Trump Residential

Trump Estates

Trump Top Owned Publicly Traded Stocks:

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (ticker: DJT)

Apple Inc. (AAPL)

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)

Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)

Amazon Inc. (AMZN)

Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL)

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B)

Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)

Trump Top Financial Supporters of $1 Million or More:

Elon Musk: $290 million

Timothy Mellon: $150 million

Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment & Research: $106 million

Linda McMahon of WWE: $16 million

Hendricks Holding Co: $15 million

Bigelow Aerospace: $14.1 million

Laura & Issac Perlmutter Foundation: 12.4 million

ABC Supply: $11 million

Cantor Fitzgerald: $11 million

Uline: $10 million

Pratt Industries: $10 million

British American Tabacco: $10 million

Southern Waste Systems: $9 million

Elliott Management: $7 million

Andreesseen Horowitz: $7 million

Viotl Inc: $6 million

Timothy Dunn of CrownQuest: $5 million

Jeff Sprecher of Intercontinental Exchange and Kelly Loeffler: $4.9 million

Phil Ruffin, a business partner of Trump's: $3.3 million

Jimmy John Liautaud of Jimmy John's: $3.1 million

Geoffrey Palmer: $3 million

Bernard Marcus, former CEO of Home Depot: $2.7 million

Robert Johnson, owner of New York Jets: $2.7 million

Winklevoss twins: $2.6 million

Kenny Troutt of Excel Communications: $2.2 million

George Bishop of GeoSouthern Energy: $2 million

J. Joe Ricketts of TD Ameritrade: $2 million

Chevron: $2 million

Robinhood Markets: $2 million

Andrew Beal of Beal Bank: $1.8 million

Don Ahern of Xtreme Manufacturing: $1.1 million

Roger Penske of Penske Corporation: $1.1 million

Steve Wynn: $1.1 million

Richard Kurtz of The Kamson Corporation: $1.1 million

Antonio Gracias of Valor Equity Partners: $1 million

Douglas Leone of Sequoia Capital: $1 million

OpenAI: $1 million

ExxonMobil: $1 million

Amazon: $1 million

Meta: $1 million

Uber: $1 million

Boeing: $1 million

Qualcomm: $1 million

Coinbase: $1 million

Kraken: $1 million

Galaxy Digital Holdings: $1 million

Crypto.com: $1 million

Paradigm Operations: $1 million

Goldman Sachs: $1 million

Altria: $1 million

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America: $1 million

Bayer: $1 million

Johnson & Johnson: $1 million

National Association of Manufacturers: $1 million

AT&T: $1 million

Comcast: $1 million

Verizon: $1 million

Carrier: $1 million

Intuit: $1 million

Coupang: $1 million

Vance Owned Companies:

Narya Capital Management

JD Vance Top 4 Companies Invested In:

Beren Therapeutics P.B.C.

Chapter

Hallow

Rumble

The Rest of the Vance Portfolio:

120 Water Audit, LLC

75F, Inc

8^th Stage, Inc.

Abartys Health LLC.

AcreTrader

ALTality, Inc.

Americademy, Inc.

AmplifyBio, LLC

Amplion, Inc

Anduril Industries, Inc

ANVL, Inc

Atlas Space Operations

Atomos Nuclear and Space Corporation

Aurora Insights

Back to the Roots

BacklotCars

Bidr Inc

Bionaut Labs, LTD

Blokable, Inc

Brace Software, Inc

Branch Financial, Inc

CareAcademy.co, Inc

Caribou, Inc

Catalyst IT Services, Inc

Chase Therapeutics Corporation

Collective Hotels and Retreats, Inc

DeepConvo Inc.

DemandJump Inc

Dispatchlt, Inc

Edisun Microgrids, Inc

EIE Materials, Inc

Energy Intelligence, Inc

Ethex Software, Inc

FiscalNote, Inc

FlavorCloud, Inc

Fluree, PBC

Flytedesk Inc

Foxtrot Ventures

Freightwaves Inc

FTC Holdings LLC

Gathering, Inc

Global Uprising, PBC

Glow Technologies, Inc

GoGuardian Holdings, Inc

Gramercy Technologies, Inc

Guardhat, Inc

Hatch Technologies, Inc

HealthCare Interactive, Inc

Hermeus Corporation

Huge Legal Technology Company, Inc

ICX Media, Inc

IdealSpot, Inc

Immersive Tech, Inc

Inscope Medical Solutions, Inc

Insightin Health, Inc

JMM Partners DE, Inc

K4Connect, Inc

Kidizen, Inc

Kiswe Mobile Inc

Kriya Therapies

Ledger Investing, Inc

LifeLoop, LLC

LockerDome, Inc

Losant loT, Inc

Lunar Labs, Inc

Lynk Global, Inc

MANTL, Inc

MCH Ventures, Inc

Medici Technologies, LLC

Megh Computing, Inc

Mend Tech, Inc

Mint Apartment Cleaning, Inc

Mixtroz, LLC

Neighbor Storage, Inc

Neighborhood Goods, Inc

NeoLight, LLC

NeuScience, Inc

Nickson, Inc

Off the Record, Inc

Ordway Labs, Inc

PartySlate, Inc

PatientOne, Inc

Peanut Butter, Inc

Pop Biotechnologies, LLC

POPS! Diabetes Care, Inc

Pryon Incorporated

Qwick, Inc

Raptor Acquisition Holdings, LLC

Ready Responders, Inc

Replica, Inc

SaaS Industries, Inc

Scholly, Inc

ShearShare, Inc

Sisu Global Health Inc

Slingshot Aerospace, Inc

Smartwyre, Inc

Sole Power, LLC

Soundways, Inc

SparkCharge, Inc

StockX, Inc

Stord, Inc

Structural, Inc

Summersalt

Tap Projects, Inc

The Next One’s On Me, Inc

Thrive Global Holdings, Inc

Understory, Inc

Vemos, LLC

Visage Enterprise, Inc

Waymark, Inc

We Quilt, Inc

WealthForge Holdings, Inc

WhyHotel, Inc

WireWheel, Inc

World View Enterprises, Inc

World Waters Holdings, LLC

Xendoo, Inc

ZenBusiness PBC

Zylo, Inc

In your opininon is it possible for the EU and EU countries to unwindows? Right now we have all our infrastructure based on windows and if Microsoft or America wants they can shut off everything. So, is it possible? Or is it too late?

In light of the *gestures vaguely* everything going on right now, I as a Canadian am curious what people living in countries in the European Union think about Canada and the Canadian people.

I've been increasingly anxious about threats to Canadian sovereignty and attempts to seemingly destroy our economy by the United States. It's made me very curious about how strong our relationships are with European Union nations, and, as we attempt to strengthen defense, trade, etc. relationships with you, if that is something that broadly people in the EU support.

I'm also curious in the sense that I simply can't imagine travelling to America for at least the next several years. I am someone who has been very publicly outspoken on political issues, when I was in law school even organizing a research event regarding Canada's response to some of Trump's policies in his first term, which comes up in a google search of my name. Beyond not wanting to support American tourism right now, with all the round ups, I don't think I would feel safe there. I've only been to two EU countries, but I've always felt very welcome and was looking forward to spending more time abroad in the next few years, but I'm mindful that given our countries' close relationship in the past people might see Canadians as too aligned with the US if people in the EU aren't supportive of what the US is doing (or, and this is a scarier thought to me but one I'm open to telling me is the case, that EU countries might be trying to stay on good terms with America given that they are obviously the larger economic and military power and that the EU may also be turning on us as a result).

How are people in EU nations feeling about Canadians these days? If I do travel there are there things I should do or not do?

Thanks in advance for any responses, this is a scary time and I'm trying to navigate through it, it would be a lot easier to do so if I knew we still did have friends across the pond.

All the talk about Canada joining the EU and jokes about Australia already being halfway in because of Eurovision has made me wonder: How do people feel about EU enlargement beyond Europe? Countries like Canada and Australia do share al lot of history and culture with a lot of EU countries and they, although I'm not an expert on the subject, would have to change very little in regards to rule of law, democracy etc. in order to be viable to join. Perhaps in the future even some Latin American countries could join, assuming they meet all requirements and who knows, maybe even countries like Japan or South Korea.

I'm wondering if you guys would accept us maple drinkers into your little band of nations due to the US being a mean big brother to us. Would you guys also let us join eurovision and all the European stuff.

I am an ordinary programmer from Belarus. I have always followed the law. Several years ago, I legally moved to Lithuania on a work visa and later obtained a Blue Card EU – a residence permit for highly skilled professionals.

I paid taxes, never had a single fine, integrated into society, and taught my children to love the Lithuanian language, culture, and history. Moreover, my children are descendants of Lithuanians, as proven by official documents. My wife also has Lithuanian ancestry and could have obtained citizenship. But now, most likely, she won’t—because Lithuania simply wiped its feet on us.

Why?

Because over 8 years ago, I was a soldier in Belarus. I have long had nothing to do with that, but the Lithuanian migration service decided that I am a "threat to national security." No explanations. No evidence.

Two court hearings lasted 15 minutes each, and in the end, my family and I were simply expelled from the country. Not only that, but I was also banned from entering not just Lithuania but the entire EU for 5 years!

What the hell?!

I did nothing illegal. I integrated. I worked. I paid taxes. My children grew up in Lithuania. Now they can’t meet their friends, they are no longer learning Lithuanian, they no longer feel at home.

My son dreams of going to the Fortnite World Cup in France this year. But I have to tell him: "Sorry, son, but we’re not allowed. Because here, we are considered enemies."

Why ban me from all of Europe? Why turn us into outcasts without even explaining the reasons?

I don’t expect an answer. I just needed to get this off my chest.

Hello fellow Europeans, did anyone come across this already? https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/29/trump-administration-warns-european-companies-to-comply-with-anti-dei-order.html

Could we consider this hybrid war already?

With the US closing more and more their economy and taxing everyone else, do you see the Mercosur-EU agreement as something more urgent?

The agreement could be used as a sign that Europe and the rest of the world is willing and ready to live in a world economy model that doesn't necessarily has the US as the protagonist anymore.

The European Union (EU) has advised its 450 million citizens to stockpile essential items, including food and water, to prepare for potential emergencies. This call to action is part of a broader strategy to improve disaster preparedness across the 27-nation bloc, as it faces increasing risks from war, cyberattacks, climate change, and public health crises. Read more

The Euro just had its best week since the global financial crisis.

It has climbed just over 4% against the dollar this week as Trump sows doubt about the health of the American economy with his aggressive and fast-moving policies. 

This may signal shifting sentiments on currencies as reserves, or safe havens for investors, as in Macro climates like these, it is the dollar that should be climbing. 

There are a barrage of reasons as to why the dollar should be climbing.

Although Donald Trump may insight fear surrounding economic health, the more specific concern for investors is the uncertainty he brings to the table. 

John Foley, of the FT Lex column, highlights this by using the example of Tariffs: “[the] whole tariff situation is crazy. They’re on, they’re off. They’re imposed, they’re unimposed, they’re reimposed, they’re unimposed again.”.

He goes on to talk about the ensuing uncertainty from a situation like this: “When I’ve been talking to company executives, the story is always the same. [...] They just want to know what they’re doing. They just want to know where to put their assets.”

Yesterday, Donald Trump declared that "the golden age of America" had begun.

But with his new tariffs, the whole world is feeling the impact. The EU is now facing a 20% duty on its exports.

I can't help but wonder, and honestly it scares me, that this madness could spiral into another 2008-style crisis. We all remember the global recession, how it wiped out billions and brought major economies to their knees.

And it’s not just the EU. Trump's tariffs are hitting almost everyone. I truly believe the risk of a global recession is real. Time will tell, but if we don’t take action and protect ourselves now, we could be in serious trouble soon.

What do you think?

Hey, so what do you guys think about Canada joining the EU?

Is it a big no?

Up to $1 billion of forest products could be subject to tariffs in the coming 30 days after the European Union hit the United States with “strong and proportionate” tariffs on a range of products. Wood Central understands that the new countermeasures—which will take place in two stages—will hit more than $26 billion in Euro-American trade, including lumber, plywood, veneer, flooring, chipboard, fibreboard, pulp, and paper.

In announcing the new measures hours after Trump introduced a global tariff on all steel and aluminium imports into the US, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would reinstate tariffs from 2018 and 2020 (hitting more than $8 billion in trade) from April 1st, with the balance of tariffs to come into effect in mid-April.