Europe Needs Bitcoin More Than Ever!

I originally wanted to publish this on Bitcoin Magazine but thought it's too important to keep hidden in a folder on my laptop. Europe needs Bitcoin more than ever and here are the reasons why!

Joël here! 👋

I was born and raised in Europe—Switzerland, to be exact—and we’ve always had a special relationship with Europe or the EU. Although Switzerland is in the middle of Europe, it has always been isolated—not politically speaking, but through clever negotiations and an attractive financial marketplace.

But it’s still part of Europe, and whenever we drove to Germany, Austria (where I now live), or Italy, we always felt at home. Everyone was welcoming and accepted that Switzerland is the ‘special kid’ on the continent.

This is one of Europe’s superpowers. It lives off its different cultures. Other than America, I’m sorry to compare it, but it feels like many Americans have never left their own country; we can drive somewhere for three hours and pass two or even three countries.

Citizens speak different languages in each country, but we get along because there is a certain ‘European Vibe’ around. These different cultures and societies enable you to find communities where you feel at home and can be the best version of yourself—at least, that’s what I believe and have experienced.

However, the last 15 years have been challenging. Not only from a business standpoint, we tend to regulate and not innovate, but also from a political standpoint.

The EU and specific countries such as Sweden, Germany, and even Austria are fighting with high immigration, the Euro crisis – casually losing over 65% of its purchasing power this past decade – and ever-increasing debt.

Combine that with a keen interest by the majority of the population in Europe for Communism or Socialism. Please don’t ask me why it’s so popular in Europe. I think it could be an outcome of the world war situations where we never wanted to shift extremely right again. Or maybe the openness of the European spirit invites this thoughtfulness.

These ideologies don’t want the individual to succeed. For the better of all, it has always been at the center of these political movements. Inevitably, this idea leads to more poverty, more centralization, and, in the end, less democracy (the favorite word of any left-leaning politician in Europe) with a dictator at the whelm.

For some weird reason, we don’t want individual Europeans to succeed; instead, we have a collectivism that punishes brilliant ideas and nurtures the ever-increasing state.

So, why are you writing this essay then, Joël? Are you a right winger who’s just here to tell us Communism failed and we should do something else? NO! While my political views can definitely be described as conservative, I’m not associated with the right side of the aisle and would describe myself as a libertarian. However, for the European standard, I might be categorized as ‘right-wing,’ but who isn’t these days?!

But to answer the question, I think we have a secret weapon. Many of these freaks are either ignoring or deliberately downplaying because they’re scared of losing power and trying everything to forbid it.

You might have guessed by the title this secret weapon is Bitcoin!

There are apparent reasons why Bitcoin is the ultimate solution for Europe. These reasons are well known, from its scarcity to its natural state as the best reserve asset and its average value increase of 45% each year for the past decade. From a monetary perspective, these points make perfect sense.

However, there is more to the orange coin, especially from a polarization perspective. In Europe, the left and right are so far apart that it’s laughable. Bitcoin is the only asset or ecosystem enabling people from two corners to reunite and agree on something.

In Europe, in particular, this is something like human rights and privacy for every individual on the continent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Switzerland, Germany, or Portugal. Every citizen of these countries is rooting for human rights and the right to protect your most precious secrecies from third parties, aka the ever-increasing security state.

If you take a closer look at most political debates in Europe, both the left and the right agree that citizens should be able to protect their physical or digital properties and how to be more independent. Bitcoin enables you to do all of these things.

Additionally, mining can be an excellent catalyst for all parties to unite if you examine topics such as energy independence. Lefties can choose renewable energy, while right-wingers can embrace a free and healthy energy market. Bitcoin also enables this.

However, the most significant and crucial point is that Bitcoin will enable all nations to be independent again. Many countries lost their sovereignty mainly due to the EU and the Euro.

We no longer talk about each country’s interests; instead, we insert the sentence, ‘Anything that’s good for the EU.’ While the EEA (European Economic Area) was a noble idea that facilitated trade and economic output in Europe, it was abused and became a regulatory superpower with the EU.

You can see the consequences of this from the sheer number of companies who left Europe or international companies who treat Europe as a secondary market with little interest.

If Nations can regain sovereignty again and nurture their economic or sociological advantages, every citizen in these countries will have a new outlook on life.

All it takes for each of them to make the most important step in their Bitcoin journey; being curious enough to learn more about it, spending some time learning the fundamentals, and getting off zero!

One European nation with great potential for this is my home country, Switzerland. We’re the golden European standard for democracy, sovereignty, a strong economy, and a country where everyone can succeed.

After all, fellow Bitcoiners have already taken the initiative to add Bitcoin to the Swiss National Bank (SNB) ’s balance sheet and have already invested in MicroStrategy.

All it takes is the last step, which is to stack Sats as a strategic treasury reserve asset. As a fellow Swiss citizen and someone who works at a Swiss Bitcoin-only company, I would welcome this step and would love to help out!

To quote Walt Disney: ‘The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.’ So go ahead, Europe, and get started! Block space is limited, and 2140 is edging closer every ten minutes with a new block!