The EU thread

[Duque de Bragança]

Why did Macron wear mirror shades during his speech at Davos?

I mean, it doesn't matter much put I'm still puzzled

Wife gave him a shiner?

He appeared with a red eye, some time ago.

Whether it's Jean-Michel or Brigitte remains to be seen or proved.

More seriously, it's a hémorragie sous-conjonctivale. Benign condition.

Macron described it as the eye of the tiger.

[Valmy]

Meanwhile, in Moldova...

Moldova's President Sandu says she would vote to join Romania
By Alexander Tanas
January 12, 20268:59 AM PSTUpdated January 12, 2026

CHISINAU, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Moldovan President Maia Sandu has said she would vote in favour of unification with neighbouring European Union and NATO member Romania if a referendum were to take place to help protect its fragile democracy against Russian pressure.

Russia says Moldova's plans to merge with Romania would destroy its statehood

MOSCOW, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that plans floated by Moldova's president to hold a referendum on reunification with Romania would be destructive to Moldovan statehood.

If those two countries ever want to reunite, this is the moment to do it. Present Russia with a fait accompli they won't be able to do much about.

I like the insight that Moldova uniting with Romania will mean Moldova will no longer be an independent state. Um...thank you for telling us these things.

[Tonitrus]

I mean...it is cute that Russia cares about their statehood.

But on Moldova's part...it would be the easiest way into the EU/NATO.

[Zanza]

There is legal precedent when West Germany defacto annexed East Germany and immediately made them NATO/EC member. But in that case there was a treaty with the Soviet Union beforehand to explicitly allow that. Which I feel is not needed now with Russia.

[Zoupa]

I sometimes dream of tanks flying the EU flag steamrolling northern Cyprus, then Transnistria, then Sebastopol and Donetsk. 

[Bauer]

I never understood why there are two Romanian speaking countries, it's not like it's a major language 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I never understood why there are two Romanian speaking countries, it's not like it's a major language 

Blame the Russians and their co-starting of ww2.

[Tamas]

I never understood why there are two Romanian speaking countries, it's not like it's a major language 

It's a bit like Belgium. The great powers couldn't agree who should get it (you could present an argument that Moldova is less prime a real estate than Belgium, I do concede) so they made up a country.

[PJL]

Talking of annexing, was thinking it would be great if Ireland annexed us, it would be a great way of coming back to the EU. Would never happen, of course, but nice to think about it.

[Tamas]

Talking of annexing, was thinking it would be great if Ireland annexed us, it would be a great way of coming back to the EU. Would never happen, of course, but nice to think about it.

BTW Trump is really showcasing the folly of Brexit. We have locked ourselves out of the EU gate, and what we are left with is groveling to the big psycho outside the gate so it'd refrain from eating us while he thinks us entertainingly subservient.

[PJL]

Talking of annexing, was thinking it would be great if Ireland annexed us, it would be a great way of coming back to the EU. Would never happen, of course, but nice to think about it.

BTW Trump is really showcasing the folly of Brexit. We have locked ourselves out of the EU gate, and what we are left with is groveling to the big psycho outside the gate so it'd refrain from eating us while he thinks us entertainingly subservient.

Yeah, we're the Belarus to Trump's Russia, whereas Canada is Ukraine.

[Duque de Bragança]

I sometimes dream of tanks flying the EU flag steamrolling northern Cyprus, then Transnistria, then Sebastopol and Donetsk.