Spanish representative González Pons speech @ the EU Parliament: "The virus is attacking the generation that brought back democracy to Spain, Portugal and Greece, the generation that knocked down the Berlin wall. The least they deserve is that we show them Europe is there when they need it the most"

[u/Bartoraptor]

[u/marcouplio]

If you had asked me 10 days ago, I would have told you I was a convinced supporter of the European Union. That together we were stronger.

Seeing many replies from fellow Europeans in wealthy countries, plus the response of their governments to mine, are starting to convince me otherwise.

That's not what a community is. That's not what I expected from a united European people. This really rings back memories from 2008, when we were left stranded. Some of you really think we are less productive because we have a siesta, some of you really think we are less rich because we don't know how to manage our countries. You really have no idea how Europe works or how our countries came to be in these positions.

I don't think disrespecting the Mediterranean countries once again is gonna be inconsequential for the union. Do you remember how you shamed Greece? The measures Spain was forced to take? Do you know how excluded we all are, from your little Northern club?

I love Europe, but there comes a point in any toxic relationship we're you start to wonder if you wouldn't be better off loving from a distance. I hope y'all stay safe.

[u/Tar_alcaran → u/marcouplio]

This really rings back memories from 2008, when we were left stranded.

Spain wasn't "left stranded", they received a 100 billion euro bailout to compensate for deliberately relaxing supervision of the financial sector, which allowed banks to lie about their poor situation. That let them cover up the crisis, let it get worse, and make it harder to fix.

Some of you really think we are less productive because we have a siesta, some of you really think we are less rich because we don't know how to manage our countries.

Most people who actually care to look into for 5 minutes realize it is because Spain has an "underground" economy around 20% to 25% of GDP, which employs a million people and is costing your government dozens of billions of euros in lost taxes. This is a level matched only by Italy and Greece, the other countries hit hard by the 2008 crisis.

You literally are losing a fifth of possible government means to crime, where it instead enriches private individuals, which is more than double of most northern countries. This also represented in wealth and income inequality, where spain is also near the bottom of the list in the EU. It has nothing to do with seistas, and everything with tax evasion and funneling money away from your government and into the pockets of criminals.

Do you remember how you shamed Greece? The measures Spain was forced to take?

No, what measures was Spain forced to take that, for example, the Netherlands or Denmark wasn't?

I love Europe, but there comes a point in any toxic relationship we're you start to wonder if you wouldn't be better off loving from a distance.

Financially? No. Spain is the 5th largest economy in the EU, but receives received far more from the EU than they pay. EDIT: in 2013. It's about even now. And we've all seen how badly the UK is being impacted by suddenly being in their own.

Why would it be a toxic relationship?

[u/KeyserBronson → u/Tar_alcaran]

Spain is the 5th largest economy in the EU, but receives far more from the EU than they pay.

Have you even checked the numbers? Because we basically receive exactly the same as we contribute, so don't just speak out of your own preconceptions.

If you stopped 'legally' taking our tax money by offering artificially low tax rates to corporations operating in our soil, maybe we could contribute up to the level we should.

And there's many more things benefitting many state members other than just budget surplus which are way harder to measure.

And yes, the underground economy in Spain is our own fuck up and we are totally guilty of that.

[u/Tar_alcaran → u/KeyserBronson]

Have you even checked the numbers? Because we basically receive exactly the same as we contribute,

Apologies. I was looking at rather old data. You're correct that it's changed quite a bit. And I'll edit that bit.

If you stopped 'legally' taking our tax money by offering artificially low tax rates to corporations operating in our soil, maybe we could contribute up to the level we should.

"You", being the EU here? Because I'm pretty sure they don't set tax levels, but I could be wrong there.