Will the europeans ever be powerful?

Source

Flash estimates for the second quarter of 2006 Euro area and EU25 GDP up by 0.9%
+2.4% and +2.6% respectively compared to the second quarter of 2005

GDP grew by 0.9% both in the euro area1 and in the EU25 during the second quarter of 2006, compared to the previous quarter, according to flash estimates published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In the first quarter of 2006, growth rates were +0.6% in the euro area and +0.7% in the EU25.

Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, GDP grew by 2.4% in the euro area and by 2.6% in the EU25 in the second quarter of 2006, after +2.0% and +2.2% respectively in the previous quarter.

During the second quarter of 2006, US GDP increased by 0.6% compared to the previous quarter, after +1.4% in the first quarter. In Japan, growth was 0.2%, after +0.7% in the first quarter. Compared to the second quarter of 2005, GDP grew by 3.5% in the US, after +3.7% in the previous quarter, and by 2.2% in Japan, after +3.4% in the previous quarter.

1. Euro area: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland.

Summary quality information:
European quarterly national accounts are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts 1995 (ESA95). The
flash estimate of 2006 Q2 GDP growth presented in this release is based on Member States’ data as available, directly
covering 96% of euro area GDP (90% of EU25 GDP). For more details of the flash methodology please refer to News Release
55/2003 of 15 May 2003.

Simulations and previously published flash estimates have shown the flash estimation procedure to be reliable. Over the last 22 quarters, the flash estimate of GDP growth on the previous quarter for the euro area when compared to the following first
regular release has led to an average revision of less than 0.01 percentage points. It correctly anticipated the acceleration or deceleration of growth 18 times. The value of the growth rate was correctly anticipated 18 times and differed by ±0.1 percentage points 4 times.

With this flash estimate, euro area and EU25 GDP figures for earlier quarters are not revised, so the growth rates till the first quarter 2006, published in News Release 91/2006 of 12 July 2006, remain unchanged. All figures presented in this release are subject to further revision with the two regular estimates of GDP for the second quarter 2006, scheduled for 31 August 2006 and 11 October 2006.

Just to show you cannot measure an economy's performance over one quarter only, as I see many people saying the US economy is relatively stronger because its growing faster and the other way around, which is impossible to conclude.

Originally posted by PBscientist

And the british use a lot of American/German/Foreign equipment now. Does that make them any less respectable?

britain doesn't use american equipment, i can probably name the trident, and the f-35 (which is a joint project anyway) - theres nothing else i can think of though from the top of my head.

infact if you go back throughtout the years id be willing to bet americans have used mostly british equipment and british inventions, (harrier, radar, V/STOL) just to name a couple.

Originally posted by PBscientist
Who worked on nuclear weapons in the UK? The first work on it I found by Britain was in 1940 by 2 German immigrants. Also, I never said that the US did all of the work in WWII, just that it helped finish it.

yep correct, but also read about the 'tube alloys project'

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by PBscientist
And WWII wasn't finished in 1941. *OH NOES, BRITAIN NEVER FINISHES ANYTHING!!!1!!11!!)

I am not arguing that America is perfect, just that some people are really unfair to it.

britain never finishes anything? then how come 60 years ago we occupied 25% of the world?

(1980's) falklands war?







[edit on 15-8-2006 by st3ve_o]

Yay! A territorial pissing thread.

My dads bigger than your dad.

He is.

Honest.

There is a huge logistical nightmare in building a superpower as such the Europeans are probably just tired of which might also explain the Japanese as well. In any event, American power always was irrelevant lest they wouldn't have stood for freedom in the first place. Although the Europeans have had some success with the Euro Fighter Typhoon, the whole nuclear holocaust thing have probably made them lose their appetite in their ongoing struggle in "civilizing" the world.

Originally posted by st3ve_o
britain doesn't use american equipment, i can probably name the trident, and the f-35 (which is a joint project anyway)

- theres nothing else i can think of though from the top of my head.

infact if you go back throughtout the years id be willing to bet americans have used mostly british equipment and british inventions, (harrier, radar, V/STOL) just to name a couple.

Britain uses American Transport planes (ie. C-130), the chinook, the Apache longbow and probably other systems. A lot of their weaponry comes from Germany as well, with things happening like Heckler and Koch having to fix the l-85 (which has a magnificent sight that makes it almost worthwhile).

Also, if you are going to bring in radar I'll fault britain for using computers, radios or interchangeable parts . Everyone has invented stuff, so you can't really use that against any country.

yep correct, but also read about the 'tube alloys project'

en.wikipedia.org...

From what I saw, they did a bit with America and then we kind of shut them out... They made some definite contributions, but they weren't a major part of the process.

Originally posted by PBscientist
And WWII wasn't finished in 1941. *OH NOES, BRITAIN NEVER FINISHES ANYTHING!!!1!!11!!)

I am not arguing that America is perfect, just that some people are really unfair to it.

britain never finishes anything?

then how come 60 years ago we occupied 25% of the world?

(1980's) falklands war?

...That was a joke...you know, hahaha. Sometimes it is just hard to convey sarcasm over the internet.

Sorry peeps, a stagnant economy and an rapidly aging population mean the EU will sink deeper into "also-ran" status.

Don't believe me? How about The Economist?

With 400m-550m rich consumers (in 2030-40), the American market would surely be even more important to foreign companies than it is today. And if so, American business practices—however they emerge from the current malaise—could become yet more dominant. ...

Higher fertility rates and immigration produce not only a larger population but a society that is younger, more mixed ethnically and, on balance, more dynamic. ...

If Europeans are unwilling to spend what is needed to be full military partners of America now, when 65-year-olds amount to 30% of the working-age population, they will be even less likely to do more in 2050, when the proportion of old people will have doubled. In short, the long-term logic of demography seems likely to entrench America's power and to widen existing transatlantic rifts.

Read more

And from the WSJ

In 1999, 25% of American households were considered “low income,” meaning they had an annual income of less than $25,000. If Sweden–the very model of a modern welfare state–were judged by the same standard, about 40% of its households would be considered low-income.

In other words poverty is relative, and in the U.S. a large 45.9% of the “poor” own their homes, 72.8% have a car and almost 77% have air conditioning, which remains a luxury in most of Western Europe. The average living space for poor American households is 1,200 square feet. In Europe, the average space for all households, not just the poor, is 1,000 square feet.

...

GDP per capita was a whopping 32% higher [in the U.S.] than the EU average in 2000, and the gap hasn’t closed since. It is so wide that if the U.S. economy had frozen in place at 2000 levels while Europe grew, the Continent would still require years to catch up. Ireland, which has lower tax burdens and fewer regulations than the rest of the EU, would be the first but only by 2005. Switzerland, not a member of the EU, and Britain would get there by 2010. But Germany and Spain would need until 2015, while Italy, Sweden and Portugal would have to wait until 2022.

Higher GDP per capita allows the average American to spend about $9,700 more on consumption every year than the average European. So Yanks have by far more cars, TVs, computers and other modern goods. “Most Americans have a standard of living which the majority of Europeans will never come anywhere near,” the Swedish study says.

www.opinionjournal.com...

And from Cato

Europe has been growing at roughly half the rate of the U.S. for the last two decades, which is not good for Europe or America. However, within Europe, there are considerable disparities in growth rates between countries. Those in the center -- France, Germany and Italy -- have barely grown, while those on the edges -- Ireland, Spain, Britain and the new EU member transition countries in Central and Eastern Europe -- have been for the most part doing very well. These growth disparities are causing increased tension among the 25 EU member states, and may even result in the currently strong Euro -- which is the common currency of 12 European countries -- becoming dysfunctional.

www.cato.org...

USA! USA! USA!

[edit on 16-8-2006 by Number23]

[edit on 16-8-2006 by Number23]

[edit on 16-8-2006 by Number23]

[edit on 16-8-2006 by Number23]

Following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and indeed the collapse of the rest of the Soviet Union thereafter, it would be crazy for the continent of Europe to not get a much needed reality check on what building a number one army entails. No one blames them in trying to fix the poor and rich person divide is something that should be a continual process and never relegated to the back burner. No longer relevant, they'd rather on piggy back on someone elses vision for taking over the world instead of always being the ones to think up the immense schemes.

wow, ive never seen so much jealousy towards the 'potential' of the EU than what i'm seeing in this thread by the americans!

i guess i should give you all a reality check:-

www.alkalizeforhealth.net...








[edit on 16-8-2006 by Sepiroth]

I never believed the EU was long for this world. Not because of any weakness within the players but more because there is a basic flaw within the system. Each country in the EU is made up of people who see themselves first as "German", "French", or "Spanish." Why would a citizen of any country which has existed successfully for hundreds or thousands of years be willing to give up control over anything for the betterment of another country? I don't think Europe can be homoginized, I hope it isn't.

IMO Europe was more of a force to be reckoned with when the ties between the countries were looser.

Originally posted by Sepiroth
wow, ive never seen so much jealousy towards the 'potential' of the EU than what i'm seeing in this thread by the americans!

i guess i should give you all a reality check:-

www.alkalizeforhealth.net...

Why not post a link to GDP clock? That would show that GDP is growing FASTER than the debt and as a result the debt burden is DECREASING.

Don't have one? That's ok, I do.
optimist123.com...

FYI the EU has a HIGHER debt burden than America.











[edit on 16-8-2006 by Sepiroth]

How about when they stop glorifying Brussels and place capital of the European Union in say, I don't know, Paris in its entirety? It's not like they don't have enough room for such a massive task or money for that matter. Until then, I truly don't see how Europe will squeak by the rest of the world and reclaim its once feared place in world affairs.

theres a GDP graph on my link you moose!!

i didn't even try reading all yours, those of the views of just 'one person' i bet if i searched around the net i could find some crack-pots website telling me how one day pigs are going to fly (doesn't mean they are going to though)

summary, theres 30 million websites (google) telling people how america is going to collapse, how many is there supporting your agruement?

nothing lasts forever, but unfortunity for america it hasn't lasted 2 mins



[edit on 17-8-2006 by Sepiroth]

Originally posted by benedict arnold
i dont think they ever will. THeir days are over. The british ditched india 60 years ago. The french are busy eating crepes and snails and the germans cant get over sauerkraut. Ok seriously they just cant get project any power nowadays. India could whip the French.

But do you think the europeans wil ever have an important part to play in world affairs in the next 100 years. I got nothing to do so please respond.

you obviously need help if thats your opinion. What a pointless thread.

Originally posted by Sepiroth

i didn't even try reading all yours, those of the views of just 'one person' i bet if i searched around the net i could find some crack-pots website telling me how one day pigs are going to fly (doesn't mean they are going to though)

[edit on 17-8-2006 by Sepiroth]

www.alaska.net...

I thought this was relevent.

Never again because obviously they're hard-wired for evil, destruction and doom for the rest of us.

Originally posted by devilwasp

Originally posted by benedict arnold
i dont think they ever will. THeir days are over. The british ditched india 60 years ago. The french are busy eating crepes and snails and the germans cant get over sauerkraut. Ok seriously they just cant get project any power nowadays. India could whip the French.

But do you think the europeans wil ever have an important part to play in world affairs in the next 100 years. I got nothing to do so please respond.

HA HA!
OMG man!
Do you know how much of the forces in iraq the british service men and women made up?
1/4th of the forces there.
And britain is one of the smallest forces in the world and in europe.
Europe has the best tech , yes thats right yanks we have equal tech, and better training.

I'm sorry but this is an utter load of crap.

Where do you train? Last time I checked German tanks aren't maneuvering in German farms, Frenchies aren't ducking hedge-rows.

Europeans have a limited training space, the US NTC is larger than all the traning spaces of Europe and the NTC is only one of the training grounds for the US.

Better trained? More like better boot camp...who the hell cares?

According to some biblical scholars the EU is the rebirth of the Roman empire and is destined to rule the world for a brief 7 year period. Of course their leader will be the antichrist who will make Hitler look like a boy scout and his big accomplishment will be to kill a lot of christians and jews. Given the probable islamic takeover of europe I'm sure that will be very popular.

The bad news for europeans is that the antichrist armies will be crushed at Megiddo in Israel when the Lord returns. The antichrist's followers face a grim end. Most of the world will be depopulated, probably, thanks to all the atomic warfare.

Other than that I wouldn't worry.

Originally posted by Stratrf_Rus
...
Europeans have a limited training space, the US NTC is larger than all the traning spaces of Europe and the NTC is only one of the training grounds for the US.

Better trained? More like better boot camp...who the hell cares?

Eerrm.. I´m not judging on who has the better trained troops, because there are good and bad apples everywhere; but please, what has the SIZE of a training area to do with the quality of the education? As long as the sites are large enough for adequate training (and that is a given because the laws regarding safety zones surrounding such areas are quite harsh in Europe), they are adequate in general.

More interesting is a DIVERSITY of installations, and that is easily accomplished both by the multitude of training areas in the respective nations, as well as the regular cross-training of troops both on the EU- and the NATO level.

Originally posted by Stratrf_Rus
I'm sorry but this is an utter load of crap.

Where do you train? Last time I checked German tanks aren't maneuvering in German farms, Frenchies aren't ducking hedge-rows.

Lol you dont think your being a litttllle bit sterotypical here...?

Europeans have a limited training space, the US NTC is larger than all the traning spaces of Europe and the NTC is only one of the training grounds for the US.

Better trained? More like better boot camp...who the hell cares?

You do know we have an entire continent to train on, right?
Yes we are better trained, our troops train longer , harder and tougher than the US.

i don't care what the bible says, when the bible was wrote people thought the world was flat and america wasn't even thought of...

if the bible was to be wrote today, i wonder what it would say about the 'war for oil' program *woops* i mean 'war on terrorism!'.

i don't care about predications anyway.. the world was going to end last week (according to this website) whens the world going to end again, next week?

ohh yeah btw, britain is going to rise again stab america in the back, join forces with europe, blair will then do a nazi salute, pull this smile:-

image.guardian.co.uk...

and say, i'm the anti christ Bwahhh Hah Hah, Bwahh Hah Hah!"

www.ctgilles.net...

Originally posted by SevenThunders
According to some biblical scholars the EU is the rebirth of the Roman empire and is destined to rule the world for a brief 7 year period. Of course their leader will be the antichrist who will make Hitler look like a boy scout and his big accomplishment will be to kill a lot of christians and jews. Given the probable islamic takeover of europe I'm sure that will be very popular.

The bad news for europeans is that the antichrist armies will be crushed at Megiddo in Israel when the Lord returns. The antichrist's followers face a grim end. Most of the world will be depopulated, probably, thanks to all the atomic warfare.

Other than that I wouldn't worry.

[edit on 28-8-2006 by st3ve_o]