this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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Everything will be taken care of mate. The Netherlands also had massive gas reserves while it was in the EU. The EU is an economic union. Norway probably also has challenges or flaws and the union can fill those gaps. Similarly you bring something and that fills a gap elsewhere. It is not about your own wealth, it is about the combined wealth. The Netherlands has always contributed a lot to the EU states (especially southern), however we have also gained a lot in social & economic freedom and economic wealth through strong partnerships (our ports also are key assets for German and Belgian industries).
Look at the US; unity creates strength, division creates weakness. Do you think California (with the tech community) or Texas (with its oil fields) would be as strong as they are now if they were independent? Nope.
Only a strong and united Europe can successfully stand up against the bullies to the West and to the East.
Right populists might have tried to make it look different, but despite all it's flaws all countries end up gaining more from the EU than they lose. Looks like many people in the UK were disappointed after effects of leaving kicked in and felt mislead by politicians who pushed the vote for leaving.
We certainly need to reform the EU to be faster, less bureaucratic, and so on, but this is the best we got right now and like democracy, it's a shitty organisation but better than all existing alternatives, including not having it at all ;)