By Jorge Cadima
October 30, 2025

This commentary was published Oct. 23 in Avante, the weekly newspaper of the Portuguese Communist Party, to which Jorge Cadima regularly contributes. European imperialists take government funds once used for social services to prepare for war. Translation: John Catalinotto

The European Union’s largest economy is undergoing rapid deindustrialization. Official figures for German industrial production show a 3.9% drop in August compared to the same month last year. (destatis.de, Aug. 10)

German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp announced the layoff of 11,000 workers, 40% of its workforce, by the end of the decade. (cnn.com, Nov. 25, 2024) Volkswagen will lay off 7,500 workers by 2029. (cnn.com, March 18) These are just two examples.

The news reaches the public without context. References to energy costs in Germany appear, hidden and cryptic, as causes of deindustrialization. It is rarely mentioned that these costs are a direct result of imperialist war policies.

It started with the greatest act of economic terrorism in the history of the EU: the destruction of the NordStream gas pipelines in 2022. While the EU instigates a panic of fear against Russia (seeing drones under the bed), it was the EU’s “allies” who were responsible for this sabotage by bomb.

Commissioned and partially paid for by Germany, NordStream 2 guaranteed German industry cheap, secure and environmentally friendly energy. It was the logical solution, which followed “market rules.”

But the U.S. has always opposed German energy independence. The NordStream pipelines (1 and 2 delivering Russian gas to Germany) were targeted with sanctions before being bombed. The current Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski (Washington’s crony) welcomed the terrorist act of 2022 with a tweet saying: “Thank you, USA.”

Now it was the turn of Polish Prime Minister Tusk (Brussels’ crony) to say: “The problem with Europe … is not that NordStream 2 was blown up, but that it was built.” (RT, Oct. 10) A problem that, apparently, is well solved by bombing.

“European solidarity” has entered the terrorist phase. What’s more, it was an “environmentally friendly” solution. Not. A study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published in the scientific journal Nature (no. 637) says that the sabotage released more than 485,000 tons of methane gas into the Baltic Sea and the atmosphere, “the largest man-made release of methane, a greenhouse gas,” having “contributed to global warming as much as eight million cars driven for a year.” (unep.org, Jan. 15)

Bombs plus sanctions

In addition to the bombs, there are sanctions [unilateral restrictive measures], intended to destroy the Russian economy but which are destroying the economies of the EU. This week, the EU banned imports of Russian gas, which still “accounts for 12% of gas imports.” To do so, it had to “design the proposals in such a way that they would be approved despite opposition from Hungary and Slovakia.” (france24.com, Oct. 20)

This was a contorted way of saying that the necessary unanimity rule was violated. Countries resisting the policy must be strangled. “European solidarity” is self-destructive. Who has forgotten the troika [EU organs that squashed Greek, Portuguese and Italian economic independence]?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that “the current welfare state can no longer be financed with what we produce in the economy.” (dw.com, Aug. 23) But days later, his finance minister traveled to Kiev to announce that the German government “will give Ukraine $10.5 billion a year for the next few years.” (interfax.com, Aug. 26)

And Berlin decided to order 15 more F-35 warplanes from the U.S. (in addition to the 35 already purchased), worth $2.9 billion. (dw.com, 20.10.25) To be paid for with debt. The rulers always find money for war and bankers. And when the people have no bread, let them eat Artificial Intelligence.