The EU is showing signs of distress indicating “problems” far beyond what is being reported on the Nightly News. Folks are getting that “bugs in the teeth” feeling. Here, at least, the nightly news mostly will just show some riot or cars burning in “protest” and then make tisk tisk noises about racism, nationalism, or xenophobia (IF they cover anything from the EU at all – other than State Visits that get a headline and Trump Complaint.)
This has the potential to be a Big Deal as Italy is openly in defiance of the financial rules. It was barely a blip a couple of years back when Poland was told they might face the “nuclear option”, and Hungary now being threatened similarly is, well, just more noise really. (So they lose their vote in the club where votes don’t mean much…) Unless one of them also files an article 50 withdrawal, it’s mostly just noise and smoke and hurt feelings.
But look at the pattern:
https://euobserver.com/institutional/136365
Poland faces ‘nuclear option’ of EU sanctions
By Aleksandra Eriksson
BRUSSELS, 21. Dec 2016, 09:12The European Commission may ask member states to punish Poland with sanctions on Wednesday (21 December), which would be the first time such a measure has been taken in the EU’s history.
Poland’s failure to reverse controversial reforms that have paralysed its judiciary system will be discussed at a meeting of the college of commissioners.
The possibility of sanctions, which is laid down in article 7 of the EU treaty, has never been used.
The commission’s ex-president Jose Manuel Barroso labelled it as the “nuclear option”, hoping the mere threat of sanctions would discourage national governments from going rogue.
So about 2 years ago and when BREXIT was just starting to roll.
Then Britain triggered Article 50 and is headed out the door.
Now it looks like Hungary is the first one to trigger Article 7. RT covers it:
https://www.rt.com/news/438308-orban-hungary-europe-article-7/
‘Serious breach’ or ‘blackmail’: What’s EU Article 7 & why has it been used against Orban’s Hungary?
Published time: 12 Sep, 2018 16:56
Edited time: 13 Sep, 2018 14:03What has Hungary done to deserve the European Union’s “nuclear option”, and will it suffer any consequences beyond a harsh rebuke?
What is the sinister-sounding Article 7?
The article – one of eight – is part of the Treaty on European Union, which serves as its equivalent of a constitution, and has existed in various forms since 1992. It is a mechanism for internally punishing any of the 28 states that pose “clear risk of a serious breach” of the “values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.”
READ MORE: EU Parliament greenlights move to trigger ‘nuclear option’ Article 7 against Hungary
While it cannot be used to expel an EU member, a country can be stripped of its voting rights, and turned into a humiliated outcast at every European meeting. More likely, any specific proposed sanctions would incentivize changes to avoid that fate.
Who can invoke it?
This procedure serves as a perfect illustration of the European Union’s convoluted and slow decision-making style. There are at least nine distinct steps between a supposed breach being identified, and a country being actually sanctioned, with seven separate votes needed from the European Council, European Commission and European Parliament, requiring thresholds from one-third, to two-thirds, to four-fifths, to a unanimous agreement, to something known as a qualified majority.
Ok, let’s make it simpler – what are the key steps taken against Hungary?
Proceedings were initiated against Budapest in May 2017, and next substantive findings were collected by Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini.
[…]
What does Hungary have to say for itself?
Viktor Orban’s government has framed the process as an ideological attack on its nationalist, conservative values, and an act of revenge for its refusal to accept migration policies dictated by Brussels. Hungarians say the specific alleged violations are a pretext.Orban had one last futile attempt to sway MEPs on Tuesday, and used the platform to accuse parliamentarians of “insulting” and “blackmailing” Hungary, as well as trying to deny it its hard-won democratic rights to decide how to run their own country.
He also reiterated that Hungary is a Christian country that retains the right to preserve its own culture in the face of mass migration, and will continue to defend its borders.READ MORE: ‘Petty revenge’: Hungary blasts MEPs for supporting punitive measures against Budapest
In the aftermath of the vote, Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto called the decision “fraudulent.”
Following that first “read more”:
https://www.rt.com/news/438264-europe-parliament-hungary-resolution/
EU Parliament greenlights move to trigger ‘nuclear option’ Article 7 against Hungary
Published time: 12 Sep, 2018 11:15
Edited time: 13 Sep, 2018 14:07[…]
The EU parliament’s decision is, however, not the final step. By voting on Wednesday, MEPs passed the motion on to the European Council, which is next to decide whether Hungary has violated EU values and whether it should be stripped of its voting rights. But to do that the Council has to vote unanimously and hear Hungary’s arguments first.
Wednesday’s vote will lead to “an enormous backlash” within the EU, MEP David Coburn from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) told RT. He noted that Orban is a popular figure at home and abroad, and his position will garner support in Britain, France, and the Czech Republic among other places. On Tuesday, the European Parliament held a debate where Orban had to personally fend off numerous accusations hurled at him. Coburn, whose party voted in support of Hungary, argues that the MEPs didn’t treat Orban fairly.
“Quite frankly, it was a Stalinist show trial. It was appalling. Why should a leader of a sovereign nation have to endure insults like that?”Former UKIP leader, Nigel Farage also weighed in. He said the decision demonstrated “the authoritarian grip of the EU,” which now “gets even tighter.”
Such are the political pressures in the EU. Eastern Block Nations, in particular, are not signed up for cultural and ethnic genocide. The southern flank is suffering under a huge economic strain as their financial masters demand they accept high unemployment to preserve the currency.
Greece was pretty much run through the wringer recently. The idea being to chasten all the others. Cyprus was financially raped. I think it more likely that would cause others to take steps to exit or change the system rather than submit to that kind of process. With Brexit underway, they can see it can be done. Thus the EU must make Brexit fail or be as absolutely painful as possible. This will not sit well with Britain. IMHO their best “deal” is to just state that on March 19th they are out and the EU will be subject to WTO rules (Germany makes money off Britain, Britain needs little from the EU). Once they are again a free nation, they can set / negotiate whatever rules they want for the EU trade.
Which brings us to Italy.
Italy has now thrown down the financial gauntlet. Said “Stuff your rules, here’s OUR budget as WE want it.” The EU must either back down (unlikely as it isn’t in the character of Authoritarians) or Italy must fold. It is unlikely Italy can accept a fate like that given to Greece. So do we end up with Italy invoking Article 50? Perhaps. As one of the largest economies in the Euro Zone, that would mean the functional end of the EU. They could also stay in the EU, but exit the Euro. That has it’s own set of problems, but is doable. Returning to the Lira would cut them free from the EU money chains and likely let them get folks back to work as a lower exchange rate would make Italy relatively cheap to visit and their products would sell well.
A key indicator of Italy’s financial health is flashing red as its EU budget row intensifies
Will Martin
Oct. 19, 2018, 4:48 AMThe spread between yields on Italian and German bonds climbed to its highest level in almost five years on Friday.
Gap between German 10-year and Italian 10-year now stands at almost 3.4 percentage points.
Widening of spread comes as Rome and Brussels clash over Italy’s proposed budget, which proposes breaking EU spending rules.
The spread between yields on Italian and German bonds climbed to its highest level in almost five years on Friday as a row between Rome and Brussels over the country’s budget threatens to boil over.
European Union authorities on Thursday rejected budget proposals put forward by Italy earlier in the week, accusing the eurozone’s third largest economy of an “unprecedented” break of EU rules around spending and deficit limits.Citing Italy’s plans to increase spending and its deficit, and allow its government debt to remain elevated, the European Commission said the country is trying to undertake “a particularly serious” breach of the rules.
“Those three factors would seem to point to a particularly serious non-compliance with the budgetary policy obligations laid down in the Stability and Growth Pact,” said a letter to Italian finance minister Giovanni Tria, which surfaced late Thursday.
So a big “watch this space”.
It looks to me like the Sovereign Nations of the EU are chafing under the yoke of impressed non-sovereignty. Intrusions on their laws, their finances, their culture and even their national character.
Not surprising, really, since that is the goal of the Globalists running the EU. To stamp out these Westphalian Nation States.
The problem the EU is facing is simply that those Nations and their Peoples do not wish to be stamped out, homogenized out of existence, and controlled by a foreign unresponsive Authoritarian Other; and they have started figuring out that’s what is in their future.
As these forces unfold, the tensions will get higher and the disorders greater.
How it will end is not clear to me at this time. About all I can say is that Soros has pissed off enough folks that he’s been thrown out of Russia, India, and his home country of Hungary. Now it looks like the EU Vassals he influences are set to take some revenge for him. With luck, a few more countries will see how this mob of Globalist tentacles and NGOs works and similarly toss them out.
Britain and Italy would seem good candidates for starters. Perhaps even post mid-term elections Trump might take a whack at it. Just recognize the Russian international arrest warrant and let a few Russian Police have visas to collect him…
Or perhaps some of the folks in high places in the EU will realize their present path is a path to their own demise as the EU implodes into chaos. (But I doubt it… Central Authority folks rarely can see that Central Authority is the problem.)
So we instead will be watching a slow motion clash of cultures, peoples, and nations. It is a big hinge point of future history. How the USA goes (continues the Trumpian pull back from the Globalist Cliff, or paralyze him with a broken House and Senate), how the EU goes (continuing to a Globalist Mush of Socialist Central Authority, or reclaim their birthrights as unique peoples and cultures with self determination), how Russia and the Eastern Block States go (continued vilification of Russia and scattering the rest of the Slavs into the Euro-mush; or a re-awaking of the common bonds of heritage).
How this will end nobody knows. I do think it will take a few years to sort out, though.
Musings from the Chiefio 
I have had that feeling for quite some time but for slightly different reasons, mainly how diligently they paper over things that any normal society would be out raged by. Their law enforcement is basically losing the handle on law and order all over the EU and the reason they are walking on egg shells in my opinion, is they know full well that it will only take one major incident to trigger the implosion of their whole governmental structure.
Modern economies and governments are as much a con job as they are a physical being, they only work if people think they can work. Lose that confidence of the public and the wheels come off quickly.
As the EU tries to punish the UK for leaving, they make it more likely for there to be no agreement just an abrupt departure. As the Central bureaucracy tightens its grip other countries will decide to go. Greece, Cyprus and Italy have no reason to stay if the ‘loans’ dry up. That might trigger Spain and Portugal also, even if only to abandon the Euro. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic will form a block, possibly with Finland and the Baltic States, as any military protection (from Russia) they get from the EU is derisory and they would be better off looking more to the USA.
It will take a few years but I think the Great Idea will go into the rubbish bin. Too far, too soon.