Ponzi schemes are not economic forces.
You're joking right?
The fact is the EU is becoming THE dominant economic force in the world, that just by it's size is beginning to dictate terms to the rest of the world.
One example is the EU ban on leaded materials in electronic products.
Because the EU is such huge market, the entire manufacturing sector is conforming to this requirement, with or without notifying it's other customers who may not want lead-free electronics.