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EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

693 points · 905 comments · hackernj

  1. softwaredoug · · focus · HN ↗
    I’m not sure this is a good thing for Canada.

    The EU feels like an incomplete experiment. Not strong enough to actually be a single market. But still able to create additional annoying regulations on top of nation level ones.

    The EU needs to be truly Federal to succeed economically. That might create uniform regulations with more uniform regulations and actually make Europe competitive.

    1. mitxela · · focus · HN ↗
      The EU shouldn't become the US. EU countries are sovereign, with the practical right to completely ignore what the EU tells them to do, and this is a good thing for now. If an EU country legalizes weed, federal troopers do not march in, arrest all the weed dispensary owners and march them to federal prison because those things don't exist.
      1. softwaredoug · · focus · HN ↗
        Ok but you have to accept that means an EU country works with a hand tied behind its back.

        In the US I can start a company and instantly have a market of 350M. Start a company in an EU country, then try to expand to another country, it’s a nightmare. That company will have a lower upper bound on market size.

        The EU might be a success in coordinating on regional issues, but I don’t think it’s yet an asset to the European economy.

        1. mitxela · · focus · HN ↗
          Do you propose forcing 27 groups of people to become 1 group just so it's easier to sell them things?

          Culture in Europe is more on sustainable business rather than hypergrowth, but you can expand to other countries too. You just have to have a business strategy catering to all the groups you want to cater to.

          I think it's good the supermarket chains in France and in Germany are mostly disjoint sets, it keeps competition around. Pan-EU Supermarket Inc would be bad.

          1. softwaredoug · · focus · HN ↗
            I’m just telling you the tradeoffs you’ve chosen. You can’t be an economic superpower in the current regime.

            Without your own “hypergrowth” you’ll always be dominated by the hypergrowth of competitors like the US and China. You’ll be in orbit of other powers instead of creating your own gravity.

            Where am I wrong?

            1. mitxela · · focus · HN ↗
              Do you propose forcing 27 groups to become the same just so it's easier to sell them things?
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