Russia and Ukraine flashpoint

[shavenferret]

SvennoJ said:

Ryuu96 said:

I don't believe the EU as an institution is capable of stepping up to the plate, it's too bureaucratic, too slow, impossible to move forward when all it takes is one bad faith actor or a few freeloading cowards. When huge decisions agreed upon by the majority can be blocked by the minority, it will never be a suitable military replacement to NATO. It will never as able to counter America/Russia/China.

We need something new, a new organisation, a coalition of the willing without the bad faith actors and cowards. This is why an "EU Army" will be a failure, a thing like that needs to be agile and united, EU is "united" in the sense that the majority agree, but it's irrelevant when the rules of EU mean a minority can block something.

So basically the same as the UN/UNSC. Except every country in EU has 'veto' power / decisions needs to be unanimous?

Yep, jeez
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM:unanimity

A limited number of policy areas considered to be sensitive remain subject to unanimity voting:

• taxation;
• social security or social protection;
• the accession of new EU Member States;
• Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP);
• operational police cooperation between Member States.

How can a union operate like this (UN can't)

It's like Switzerland blocking flood prevention measures because they're in the mountains, so who cares. Then Denmark blocking avalanche protection measure, cause they don't have those.

As long as EU countries treat the EU as, what can the EU do for me specific rather than working together as a whole, EU remains rather useless on the global stage.

It may have to be up to individual countries or an unofficial coalition of peacekeepers that want to put a stop to the war.