Maybe some could ask of all these vested interests, if you are so crucial to economic growth why hasn't there been any?

They'll blame other incumbents... and so the world doesn't really turn until this can somehow be stopped.

On the one hand, a little sympathetic to governments having to wade through the self-interested lobbies. On the other, that's why you need to understand the economic context, have a clear plan, communicate well etc... none of which this or previous ones have done.

Don't think it is intelligence cooperation the EU is lacking as much as Member State and institutional cooperation. And leadership to make that happen. bsky.app/profile/fber...

I don't think the EU could have prevented the rise of China, so it would have been more about planning on how to remain competitive.

One has to wonder whether the EU is now following the UK in having lost an empire (or in this case a trade and economic order) and struggling to find a role.

Definitely crisis time at the very least.

Europe is struggling - badly - to adjust to a world in which China is a dominant trading player, and the US isn't particularly interested in helping an obviously flailing continent.

Hundreds of empty or unrealistic China policy papers are coming back to haunt us.

Seems fairly routine stuff to me

Payment for access to systems, operating costs etc. All fair. Wasn't payment for single market funds as the Commission had specifically excluded these from negotiations. Just the same sorts of arguments as with EU-Mercosur.

Yes, another reply suggested similar, might have been the case early 2000s, had definitely gone by the end of the decade

Basically there's a lot of backward projection on China's economy, and not a right lot of serious analysis. And there wasn't enough of the latter before, a charge I do think is fair.

I'm also not sure there is a realistic history in which the US and EU basically get together to stop China's growth and maintain their own pre-eminence, not least after the financial crisis reduced confidence in their own economies.

Based on my experience it would be correct to say that EU and US policy makers did not really consider the impacts of China as a growing economy, but then neither did they consider an increasingly fractious west where populism became endemic www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

We think the youth mobility may be a misunderstanding about the way to a quicker deal, and the Erasmus was always going to be a negotiation on money. Neither are as against the common understanding as saying the UK should pay for single market access.

I find it extremely difficult to believe that Germany and the Netherlands are in such a minority wanting the RU to uphold an agreement already made, and once the UK isn't being offered the access of Switzerland or Norway so shouldn't make the payments... something odd going on here.

Going to be a terrible look for Europe if it can't sort out SAFE funding including the UK though. And that won't be the UK's fault.

Commission officials are basically trying to juggle challenges in the absence of leadership, US, then Mercosur, steel, the UK some way behind. Not pretty, but what else to do?

Suffice to say that an EU riven with division has been unable to respond effectively to either the US or China, leaving officials to do the best they can. As for having partnerships for economic security... ha and good luck with the protectionists.