The Economist's Digest 2

Charlemagne/Overweight but underpowered
(Originally from The Economist Sep. 8~14)

Summary:
The European Union is one of the most powerful economic organizations in the world. It has many financial-powered countries, such as half of G8 (The eight biggest industrial countries in the world.) members. It's considered to be the most successful global economic organization that put many states' financial power together; it also plays an important role in globalization, has the powerful invisible hand controlling the world, and has became the biggest market.
As the power it grows the problem of the EU is coming up------the "Union" is not united(團結) enough. Since there are many EU member countries doubt the organization, there must be many conflicts, such as the French vs. Britain.
There's another problem of EU, that is, the same opinion about their goal. Does the organization set for reducing barrier of globalization? What's the EU aid for? The North EU countries hate using the aid for commercial benefits just for themselves while other EU countries use this to get a profit on trade policy. Some scholar think that "neither recipient needs nor recipient should get" plays a important dispenser (分配者). On the other hand, the common energy policy is not a problem because the EU has finished the rules about its use of fossil fuels (things to provide power for industry).
There's a final problem that the Europe is becoming smaller because of the decline of its population due to low birth rate, so it has to become more humble and generous to share its uncontrollable power and adjust itself to fit a new global order. This also gives the EU new power for the next decades.
What I think:

The EU is doubtfully a strong-connected economic organization. Such an organization still has many problems to solve, other developing countries, like BRICK, are needless to say. How the EU deals with energy and environmental problem is praiseworthy. However, look at Asia and America, there's a lot of room for improving.
The European deeply feel its danger of decline, so they also find they're not united "enough".
What about Taiwan? Don't lose our advantage and get rid of our disadvantage soon. Create a new way in other areas. what we can take for example isn't America, but the EU.