Welcome to the new Hanseatic League

An alliance of eight EU members – including Ireland – is coalescing to protect economic interests in northern Europe. But will it have any real effect?

The idea behind the Irish name Aer Lingus is that of a fleet or convoy for the air. There is strength and safety in convoys. The idea behind the name of the German national carrier, Lufthansa, is the same.

The German word “hansa”, which originally meant “convoy”, has come back into a different type of usage in recent times with the notion of the formation of a new Hanseatic League. Dubbed thus by ...