Does the European Union (EU) face a formidable rival in the form of BRICS, a group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa? This question gains further complexity with the recent expansion of BRICS, welcoming five new members – Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the UAE, now often referred to as BRICS+. The enlargement of BRICS into BRICS+ marks a significant shift, suggesting a growing and increasingly diverse coalition that could potentially challenge the EU’s influence on the world stage. Our video delves into a detailed comparison between the original five BRICS countries and the EU, exploring the new BRICS+ members and potential future additions, to assess whether BRICS holds equivalent or greater power than the EU in global affairs.
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Does the EU have a rival? Is there a group of countries out there that have the same political and economic unity? These five countries make up BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
And that is not all. At the start of the year, 5 more countries joined the BRICS group. These new members are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the UAE. With these countries joining, the group is now often referred to as BRICS+, meaning the BRICS group is getting bigger and more varied.
Some believe BRICS hold the same, if not more, power than the European Union on the world stage. But Is this true? In this video, we’ll first compare the original five BRICS countries with the EU, then explore the new BRICS + members, and potential future additions to the group.
In 2001, Jim O’Neill, an economist working at Goldman Sachs, wrote a report detailing how he believed Brazil, India, Russia, and China would grow to dominate the world economy in as little as fifty years. He called this grouping of countries BRIC, an acronym of each country’s initials.
I think the four BRIC countries in the next 30 years will be the four largest so-called emerging economies and even while there are other emerging economies that are interesting and exciting, including the so-called MINT countries,
It’s very unlikely that any of them are going to be as big as any of the BRIC countries. By 2010, South Africa, also seen as a developing economy, joined the group, thereby adding the final initial ‘S’, to form the word BRICS.
Our BRICS partners are now the largest trading partners of both Africa and South Africa. They realise the exponential growth potential of our regional market. Since 2010, the leaders of the 5 countries have been holding annual summits where they discuss world affairs and set out future plans for political and financial cooperation.
BRICS wants to offer an alternative to the traditional Western world order, led by the United States and the European Union. Many have then wondered – is BRICS a more powerful force than the EU? Is this grouping of countries something Europe should worry about? In our opinion, no. In their current forms,
The BRICS and the EU are two completely different organisations. We’ll look at three pillars today to explain why we think the EU is still a much more integrated and influential group, compared to BRICS on the international stage. But of course, this might change in the future. The first pillar is geography.
Let’s take a look back at our map. In yellow are the member-states of the European Union. In green are the original 5 BRICS countries. Yes, I know that there are now 10 BRICS countries, but we want to start with the
Original 5. Towards the end of the video we will show a full comparison of the EU vs. the BRICS and vs. the BRICS-Plus. So bear with us as it is quite amazing how fast this group is growing. At first glance, it looks like the original 5 BRICS countries already
Have the clear upper hand. All together, BRICS countries have a combined landmass of nearly 40 million square kilometres stretching across most continents, which covers just over a quarter of the planet’s land surface. Compare this to the EU, whose borders only cover just over 4 million square kilometres on just one continent.
Not only that, the original BRICS countries hold over 3.3 billion people within their borders, which is around 42% of the world’s population. The EU population is large with over 440 million residents, but it still pales in comparison to this giant number. Finally,
In terms of natural resources, BRICS wins again. Russia is home to large natural gas reserves, Brazil has access to the Amazon rainforest, and China holds key rare earth reserves on its land. So, the BRICS countries win, right? Case closed. Not quite. Even though these countries are large,
They’re very spread out. In comparison, the EU member-states are very close together – moving goods from Spain to France can be done in a single day, and a holiday trip from Brussels to Rome is only a short 2-hour Ryanair flight. Even the
Longest trip across the EU, from Lisbon to Nicosia, in Cyprus is only around 7 hours. For BRICS countries, it’s a different story. China and Russia share a border, but Moscow is almost over 5,700 kilometres away from Beijing. Brazil is locked in the southern hemisphere far
Away from either of the three in Asia, while South Africa is tucked away at the very bottom of the African continent. Shipping and travel take far longer compared to their EU counterparts. Not only that, the EU has an ace up its sleeve – the Single Market and Schengen
Area. This means European countries who are a part of it can move their goods, capital, and people freely across borders. Not only is the journey between Brazil and India longer, but you also have to go through much more paperwork once you finally do arrive!
There are advantages and disadvantages to both sides, but we believe sharing tight land borders and movement agreements make for a stronger overall union. Let’s take a look at the economic powers of both groups, too. Let’s not mince words – when you tally them together, the original 5 BRICS economies
Far outshine the EU economy. The total GDP for BRICS is a staggering $25.9 trillion, putting it far ahead of the EU’s 16.7 trillion. The BRICS economies also tend to be faster-growing, with India shooting ahead with a very healthy 6.3% annual growth rate and Brazil enjoying a steady, but decelerating, 3% average.
In the EU, growth is much slower. Even the fastest growing economies are only seeing average increases of around 2% to 2.5%. Except for the Republic of Ireland, who’s growing at a 5.6% rate this year. You go, Ireland. But again, numbers don’t tell you the whole story. For one, take a look at
The BRICS economies side-by-side. You see that it’s incredibly unbalanced! China, with a GDP worth $18 trillion, accounts for well over half of the BRICS economies. South Africa, on the other hand, looks tiny with its $400 billion. Russia, supposedly one of the great
International powers, has a similar GDP as Italy. Though this is to be expected, partly due to the heavy sanctions the country has been facing from the Western bloc due to the invasion of Ukraine. In the EU, the spread is more balanced. Of course, large countries like France,
Germany, Italy, and Spain dominate, but Eastern Europe is quickly catching up. The EU budget also means that many of the economies falling behind get more EU money, thereby allowing them to grow quicker. BRICS countries are simply on their own.
And let’s not forget the Euro, which plays a crucial role in the EU’s economic unity and strength. As a single currency shared by many of its member states, the Euro facilitates seamless trade and economic stability within the EU, contrasting the varied currencies and monetary
Policies of the BRICS nations. The BRICS have talked about a common currency in the past, but so far, these discussions have not resulted in concrete action, highlighting a key difference in the level of economic integration between the EU and the BRICS.
Finally, the BRICS countries rarely act as one body on the international stage. They usually sign their own trade agreements and set their own tariffs when dealing with third nations. The EU, on the other hand, has signed trade agreements with the United States,
Japan, Australia, Argentina, and many more. All tariffs are set at the EU level, meaning the taxes paid on goods coming into France are the same paid on ones coming into Poland or Cyprus. But what about politics? Are the BRICS countries as close as their European counterparts?
The political aspect is what truly sets apart the EU from the BRICS. The BRICS group is made up of largely independent members who each have wildly different economies, cultures, and geopolitical goals. Sometimes, these countries even fight amongst themselves! For example, India and China are still locked in a heated
Dispute over the highly-profitable Kashmir region. I have made it very clear frankly, publicly as well, India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if the peace and tranquillity in the border areas is disturbed. India also isn’t entirely committed to defending their would-be allies. India
Has been relatively quiet about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and is now starting to turn away from purchasing their goods as the price of Russian oil begins to rise. India has also reduced its defence purchases from Russia and is starting to buy more from the US, France, and Israel instead.
Not only that, for the BRICS summit held in Johannesburg this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to attend via video call. South Africa is part of the International Criminal Court, their authorities would have been forced to arrest
Putin once he stepped onto South African soil. It’s hardly a good look for an international organisation when one member has to officially acknowledge another members leader as a criminal Nonetheless, the BRICS are growing. Fast. In January Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Egypt,
And the UAE joined the BRICS group, now often referred to as BRICS+. And there are even more applicants! A total of 14 countries are on the waiting list, many of whom are expected to join in the next expansion round.
So what does this mean? Let’s first compare the original BRICS group to the BRICS+ group. In terms of geography, demographics and economy, all key metrics have gone up significantly. For example, GDP has increased from 25.9 trillion to 28.6 trillion, a more than 10% increase.
And if we compare this against the EU, the difference becomes even more stark. This will mean more relevance for the BRICS on the world stage, but also more opportunities for division. The EU member states have their differences, but there is much more political cohesion
Overall. The unified response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was far stronger than many expected. The EU often acts as one single bloc on the world stage, though disagreements over foreign policy are still very common. The EU is also a supranational organisation, meaning each member state has given up some
Degree of autonomy and sovereignty so that it can have more power. The European Parliament and the European Commission have powerful international presences, with world leaders such as Zelenskyy and Biden visiting the Parliament to give speeches. BRICS is an international organisation. BRICS has
No power on its own as the members retain full sovereignty. The organisation simply acts as a platform for the leaders to discuss world affairs and to potentially cooperate. In fact, BRICS is so divided, it might be more relevant to compare it to the G7,
A collection of the 7 leading world economies behind the international liberal world order. This would be bad news for BRICS supporters, as the inclusion of economic giants like the United States, the UK, and Japan means the G7 total GDP, at $51.6 trillion, dwarfs the BRICS countries.
At EU Made Simple, we like initiatives that promote international cooperation. However, BRICS-Plus is fundamentally different from the EU. In fact, the Brics-plus may never be like the EU or Nato . But the key question is, do they need to be? Despite its advantages, the EU grapples with issues like democratic shortcomings
And conflicts between national sovereignty and deeper integration. It even experienced a member state’s departure only a few years ago. NATO also faces criticism for its expansionist approach and questions about its current relevance. BRICS-Plus, meanwhile, identifies as an “informal group of states” concentrating on the needs of
Emerging economies. Their priorities include fostering international trade, promoting inclusive decision-making globally, and providing alternatives for countries facing sanctions, such as Russia and Iran. The BRICS-Plus group offers a different approach to the EU, yet it is not opposed to the West. Brazilian President Lula da Silva emphasised this during the last summit’s opening,
Stating, “We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20, or the United States. We just want to organise ourselves.” it’s crucial for the EU to engage more with BRICS nations, fostering equality in global institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, and involving them more in global
Decision-making. Without such engagement, their current stance towards the West may turn sour. But do you disagree with our analysis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Please like and subscribe if you enjoyed the content. If you want to support us further, please sign up to Patreon. Until next time!
26 Comments
BRICS is a propaganda platform. Also, India has no interest in BRICS, so it's technically BRCS, and the remaining countries are so impossibly corrupt that you expect them to compete with the US dollar? LMFAO
BRICS has nothing to do with EU, but rather US, coz EU is just a US muppet.
Brazil: We want to participate in the G7, we want to make a deal Mercosur/EU, we want…
USA/UK/France: Shut up.
Brazil: Signs a deal with Indonesia, Congo, Cuba, China, Germany, Portugal, Spain, China,…
Brazil (Mercosur presidency): Signs a deal with Singapure, Vietnam, trying with EFTA and Canada.
Brazil (BRICS+): Exists
USA/UK/EU: Brazil is going backyards allying itself with enemies.
Hahaha.
Let's wait for 3rd term of Modi govt in India.
West has to get out of the mindset that 'Oh who are they are they new in the college? Perhaps they are threatening to us, oh no we might be doomed, we have to do something' 🤦
Agree, as EU had Brexit, Brics had Argentexit before join it. You missed that.
EU is not the rival but EU is the rival (rules)
BRICS a EÚ – 😂 ešte NIE. 😂😂😂
What is EU ? Just germany(economy) and france(military). All others are welfare states. Germany relies on russian gas and oil, while france relies on africas uran and oil.
As soon as germany stop feeding the eastern europian fast developers, eu will collapse.
France will be kicked out of africa, nothing to feed their nuclear reactors.
Brics is not EU and in future it won't, and it doesn't want to. Because it's made differently with different perspectives and idea's. It's okay that you are European and loves to defend, that's anybody would do.😅
The move to a multipolar world is irreversible. The G7 had their moment in the sun but all things must come to an end.
BRICS is not a union of countries who gave up their sovereignty to a bunch of un-elected bureaucrats in Brussels under the coercion of military forces from the US who in practice occupy the continent.
BRICS are a Union of minds with a strong purpose: be free from the control of current and former colonial powers.To achieve that they need to form a commercial union and a system to allow goods movement without the use of dollar or Euro. As simple as that. There is no objective to control the world just get ridden from current masters in trade, finance with full sovereignty of each member. Nothing like the EU model the author describes which shows his ignorance on the issue.
The EU is nothing, it's weak
Led by an un=elected crazy woman
Europe has . nothing without stealing from Africa ‼️‼️
divine central authority unity overthrows imposition of political government
Its totaly wrong to compare something tangible with something intangible like comparing the population and the gdp to the EUs cohesion and the power that seaking as one state.
Western economies and population are dying. It's the start of the end. By the mid of this century it will be a different world.
🌈👽⭐️💜🔺✌🏾🚣♀️
China alone can challange the EU. But so what?
This comparison is completely in vain and pointless and on top of that, Eurovision was not even brought up for what makes eu better.
Let's add Australia to the European union and we are good. If you join Eurovision then you need to join the EU. Global expansion by culture.
😂
BRICS OPTION OF economic factionalism.
Thank you, very good.
if there truly were no hostilities between the members of EU and BRICS, a topic like whether one could challenge the other would’ve never come up. It would be nice if people were a bit more honest😮💨
BRINCS will not be a rival, because inside BRICS they are rivals.
India doesnt want China to grow. China doesnt want anyone else to grow.
etc etc etc.
European union soon or later will become a single country, and becoming a single country, it will be the most important in the world.
There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage ❤