[TalkingCodeMonk]

> For the EU taxpayer, nothing was gained and nothing was lost.

Except for the "massive" subsidies you advocated for, right? Except for the massive cost to provide utilities and infrastructure to support those businesses? Except for the cost to support the employees they refuse to provide minimum "protections" for? Except for any damage they do to the local environment?

You seem to think that businesses exist in a vaccum where they have no impact on society or its population, except when they succeed and everyone should be eternally grateful. This is the systemic greed and narcissism America exports to the world; not just through its businesses, but its media and population across forums such as this one, and is exactly what I'm talking about.

[WarmWash]

There would be no subsidies and the companies would be responsible for funding their own infrastructure. Protections for workers would be minimal, because we wouldn't really be interested in hiring people who want strong protections. They can stay at their current job. You balk at this, but all of Europe's capable tech minds left the EU to go work at tech in the US over the last 30 years. They didn't care about the generous protections, they cared about making stuff and making money. Which they did, overwhelmingly.

What I am describing is an existential battle for the relevance of Europe on the world stage in the future. Right now Europe is looking like a vasal state, picking between the US and China for who it's overlord will be. If Europe wants independence, it needs to mobilize immediately to catch up.