Re:Germany's blanket data retention law is illegal, EU top c...
by M2Ys4U on Tuesday September 20, 2022 @12:02PM
(#32913621)
>The EU isn't really a country, it's a free trade agreement with an unusually democratic (by the standard of FTAs) process for updating its own rules.
The EU isn't just a free trade agreement and it has never been just a free trade agreement. It has always been a political endeavour.
Of course that doesn't make it a country or a nation state at all, but let's not go too far in the other direction when trying to describe it.
Re:Germany's blanket data retention law is illegal, EU top c...
by ben_w on Tuesday September 20, 2022 @01:37PM
(#32915097)
Every free trade agreement is a political endeavour. The entire concept of free trade is in part where the term "liberal" originates from (not that the term should be considered a guide to current policies of parties with that title, lots has changed since it was Liberals vs Whigs).
Re:Germany's blanket data retention law is illegal, EU top c...
by bhupy on Tuesday September 20, 2022 @01:18PM
(#32914839)
The EU isn't a country (yet), but it's a political union that increasingly walks and quacks like a country.
Re:Germany's blanket data retention law is illegal, EU top c...
by effie on Tuesday September 20, 2022 @06:09PM
(#32918474)
Indeed it is not a country. But democratic process is a very wrong word here, even with the adjective "representative". The EU process for updating its own rules is a bureaucracy directed by prime ministers, and those influenced/controlled by powerful groups. E.g. Scholz and Macron pushing for federalization and weakening the power of states - this is great for EU apparatus and those wanting to make it stronger, but state citizens do not want this.
Re:Germany's blanket data retention law is illegal, EU top c...
by ben_w on Tuesday September 20, 2022 @06:36PM
(#32918696)
Can you name any trade agreement with a more democratic process?
Re:Germany's blanket data retention law is illegal, EU top c...
by effie on Tuesday September 20, 2022 @07:22PM
(#32919087)
I wouldn't connect those concepts at all. Democratic process is expected in a state that proclaims to be a democracy. Not in a trade agreement of multiple states. Also, EU is not just a trade agreement.
The EU isn't really a country, it's a free trade agreement with an unusually democratic (by the standard of FTAs) process for updating its own rules.