Europe’s self-induced problems continue to compound as the longer the conflict in Ukraine takes, the faster our demise will be.
By Romegas
The respected paper Handelsblatt has reported that a survey of 3,500 companies by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), has shown that due to the sharp rise in energy prices, more and more companies are giving up their production or have already restricted their operations.
16 percent of industrial companies want to reduce their production. According to their own statements, almost a quarter of them have already done so, and another quarter is in the process of doing so. Others are closing shop for good. According to the DIHK evaluation, the energy-intensive economy is particularly badly affected. These include the steel, glass, and paper industries. 32 percent of this sector want to reduce or stop production. Eight percent have already done so.
Gas shortage in Germany has led to problems with the production of paper, not least toilet paper. This was told to the Zeit newspaper by Jurgen Schaller, chairman of the Board of the Bavarian Paper Manufacturers Association.
Earlier it became known that the Germans began to wash less often in order to save money. Restrictions on heating, lighting, and other forms of consumption are already in place. Experts say that these restrictions will make little or no impact on the energy crisis since domestic consumption pales in comparison with that of industry, particularly heavy industry on which Germany’s economy is so reliant.
Even so – German media reports that due to the rising cost of energy, hospitals may be faced with a choice of which rooms to heat as a priority, a decision which had experts criticize the authorities’ proposal to reduce the temperature of hot water in the pipes in order to save energy since in their opinion, this can provoke an outbreak of dangerous diseases – particularly legionellosis or “legionnaires’ disease”.
At least they haven’t gone as far as Latvia which has stopped ambulance service for non-urgent calls.
Ambulances can only leave now in extreme cases. The remaining patients are ignored. The reason cited is that the allocated funds for the purchase of fuel are no longer enough to provide for overall coverage. In just a year, the average increase in fuel prices in Latvia was 51% — diesel rose by 57.6%, and gasoline by 44.9%.
In the meantime in Poland, according to the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolitamany, basic products such as bread, milk, and meat have risen in price by more than 30%
“63% of Poles declare that they will limit the consumption of food. The cuts will also affect entertainment and electronics spending.”
People are forced to resort to cheaper products, which are worse in quality and composition.
The decline in demand has also hit retail outlets: foreign supermarkets have already lost up to 20% of the market, and that of small stores has fallen by 10%.
“All this means huge problems for trade: we are on the verge of a market crisis combined with high inflation.”
In this regard, the press is urging Polish citizens to buy from small local shops more often before they will go under.
Bloomberg reports that Western sanctions have driven European energy companies into deeper debt. To cover the growing costs, these enterprises are forced to take out loans. The total debt of European energy providers already exceeds the 1.7 trillion euro mark. At the end of 2019, it was approximately 1.1 trillion euros. This means a debt growth of over 50% in just a couple of years. A debt that no one has a clue of how it will ever be repaid.
These are just but a few snippets, of news you are unlikely to read on the local or mainstream media – from the UK to Italy, predictions of doom abound – even the US is buckling. Back in early march, when the EU imposed sanctions on Russia, I was the first in Malta, and among the first anywhere else to tell you that we in Europe were in the process of committing economic suicide – that our ‘leaders’ were nothing other than cretins, taking decisions that imperil us all without our consent. I stated unequivocally that far from achieving unity or even weakening Putin, the sanctions will only serve to hasten the EU’s demise while strengthening Russia.
Four and a half months later, even opinionists in the Guardian, are beginning to read what was clearly written on the wall back then.
I had also warned, that the real effects of our stupid actions will not begin to be felt in force before the autumn, and I stand with that prediction. We haven’t seen anything yet.
Europe faces a winter of discontent like no other – and the cretins who needlessly brought all this upon us, instead of reversing their suicidal policies seem in their monumental folly capable only of doubling down.
There’s a limit to what Europeans will put up with to prop the corrupt, NATO proxy regime in Ukraine.
Things are so bad, and they will get exponentially worse – that now even the Russians – you know those whose economy had to collapse under our sanctions have now begun to troll us – and who can blame them? Not even in their wildest dreams would have they imagined our leaders to be so terminally stupid.
Indeed – as they continue to grind the Ukrainian army, kilometer by kilometer, the word there is to take it slow, because they know – the longer the conflict takes, the faster our demise will be.