One of the very tangible advantages an overbearing EU bureaucracy could provide if it were functioning properly would be to just go in and build cross-country corridors, with appropriately located pre-works for hooking up local connections, and proper right-of-way reservations around them to allow later expansion if the locals come to their senses.

If the locals insist on not connecting their cities to a perfectly nice network backbone like that, well you can drag a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.