It occurred to me that as EU doesn’t really have a definition of itself, then it also doesn’t try define itself for others, either.
At the same time “joining”, “being in”, “being collectively”, “acting as a polity” in/at/as EU is far from value neutral, or insignifiant: be it iphone-wires, Ukraine’s future, Brexit, next to Russia, as a difficult relative to USA, messy state politics reaching through Brussels to global stage etc.
To clarify: “what does it mean to you” means just that: when you hear of EU in any context common to your life, what do you think of?
For example: to me as an elder millennial USA is to some extend always Bush2:s foreign policy mixed with the schisms of Trump Era.
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It means the counties that are members of the European Union. I don’t understand the implications of “what does it mean to you”. It’s an economic and strategic alliance between countries.
The countries of the European Union.
It’s very clearly defined.
I assumed there is an official treaty to join. Ratifying the treaty (treaties?) is the only way I define it.
The countries that are members of the European Union.
There is no debate on this. Everything is extremely clearly defined and it is not up to individual interpretation as you seem to think it is.
It has a very specific and detailed definition. There are specific member nations and they are bound by treaties to uphold various laws and economic regulations.
It’s not really a matter of individual interpretation.
It’s a collective term for the member countries of the European Union. I don’t really understand the question.
> to me as an elder millennial USA is to some extend always Bush2:s foreign policy mixed with the schisms of Trump Era.
Is that really it? Why cherry pick 12 of the last 22 years?
Spending a lot of time in a feedback bubble I guess?
As for the EU. A union of European nations… you know. What it is.
EU specifically refers to the European Union, a political entity. I don’t use Europe and EU interchangeably, since there are nations on the continent that aren’t part of the Union.
It’s a glorified customs union.
The EU website sums it up pretty well: “The European Union is a unique partnership between 27 European countries, known as Member States, or EU countries. Together they cover much of the European continent.”
>It occurred to me that as EU doesn’t really have a definition of itself, then it also doesn’t try define itself for others, either.
This implies you don’t know what those letters stand for.
the European Union
It means the European Union.
I’m confused at your confusion.
OP is trying to hard to find extreme views about a particular topic.
Its Europe trying to emulate the US.
I’m going to go way out on a limb and say that ‘EU’ generally refers to the European Union.
I’m pretty sure they have a website if you want to know more.
The EU doesn’t really have an emotional presence in my life, sorry to tell you.
I’m confused. Are there people that use “Europe” and “EU” interchangeably? To me, it means what it means.
What
It’s a economic and regulatory union or European nations to make trade and travel easier and more consistent between nations to improve the stability of the overall area. I usually think if the countries as mostly separate entities and the EU is like a group chat or organization they have in the background that is sometimes brought to the word ring with broad political or economic stuff.
The European Union is, like, a state of mind, maaaan
I’m very impressed by it, kind of sentimentally so. I’ve spent a big chunk of my life in Europe and old enough to remember border checks and currency changes driving from one country to the other – and that between the Western countries. The first time I drove across the former Iron Curtain with no problem I teared up and felt a bit emotional because I could clearly remember when that whole half of Europe was basically locked away.
People debate to what degree the EU and its forerunners deserve credit for the peace and prosperity within their borders, vs other factors such as the stabilizing US military presence on the continent. I get that and can’t definitely say myself. I also get that the EU has a democracy deficit – I remember the EU constitution fiasco in the early 2000s. I even get why Britain may have thought it best to leave. But I’m spite of all that I still get warm fuzzies when I see the EU flag. Hell, some of the best countries in the world fall under its banner.
European Union
It means a country that’s in the EU, I’m aware that not all of Europe is.
Countries who are official members of the European Union and who have signed all of the treaties that are a part of being a member. It’s an economic and political union that helps make travel and money between nations much easier than it was before, so that’s what it means to me.
I’m going to try to rephrase the original questions as “What do you think about the EU?”
I’m struck by its whitelist of products approved for sale. As someone interested in heirloom gardening (plant varieties that are open pollinated and can be grown indefinitely by replanting their seeds while retaining roughly the same traits), I know that many heirloom sellers were shut down when their home country entered the EU because there isn’t enough profit involved in non-proprietary seeds for anyone to spend the money it takes to get a variety on the whitelist.
Ultimately a lot of them had to find solutions like adopting a subscription model: you can join their organization for X money a year, and your ‘subscription’ comes with a certain number of seed packets. Because it was *illegal* to sell or buy the old classics that weren’t owned by any corporation.
I’m not impressed by the EU. I think it’s a manifestation of the European fear of non-authority.
¿Estados Unidos?
I am interested to know what led you to believe that “EU” didn’t have a definition.
EU stands for the European Union, an intergovernmental organization made up of 27 member states that coordinates and standardizes law and policy among its members in order to facilitate the movement of people, goods, and services within the union.