EU is on the same path. Actually even worse with over-the-top ecological requirements. Making it harded for local businesses, while making trade deals with iffy countries left and right. For now it's rolling on selling assets to China or US. But obviously that's not sustainable long term. Either we need to protect our internal market and tax the crap out of imports, or the party will be over.
>Actually even worse with over-the-top ecological requirements.
That seems hard to judge in the short term - if in 50 years some economically-critical ecosystem collapses like the north atlantic fisheries did, they will have been absolutely necessary in retrospect.
No matter what ecological requirements would EU impose on local businesses, the rest of the world would happily pollute to cover its part. And eu itself would by that stuff. Point in case - fertilizers. EU regulations for fertilizer plants are getting stricter and stricter. Local produce prices are sky-high, especially after cheap gas was cut off. Yet imports from Russia (!!!) are massive.
