Is the European Union a Country?

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  • Опубликовано: 13 июн 2024
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    Attributions:
    European Parliament photo courtesy Diliff
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Комментарии • 8 тыс.

  • @lizzie8742
    @lizzie8742 4 года назад +3188

    ”Is the european union a country?”
    Almost every single person living in a country in the EU: Why did I click this?

  • @trollloloololooo
    @trollloloololooo 7 лет назад +732

    Americans: yes Europe is a country
    Fact: no it's not

    • @tatiatus3382
      @tatiatus3382 7 лет назад +104

      Valorous dumb* oh the irony

    • @griffin8762
      @griffin8762 7 лет назад +15

      ??? theirs no b in dum.

    • @tatiatus3382
      @tatiatus3382 7 лет назад +50

      Valorous I hope you're being sarcastic.

    • @trollloloololooo
      @trollloloololooo 7 лет назад +7

      Valorous there is but it's silent

    • @izumi.yoshida7
      @izumi.yoshida7 7 лет назад +6

      Valorous yes there is you troll :)

  • @jasoncole1833
    @jasoncole1833 4 года назад +438

    I feel like no countries recognize the eu as a country because the eu hasn’t declared itself as a country

    • @ygmsniper
      @ygmsniper 3 года назад +51

      Yes. It does not consider itself a country but rather an organization of countries. But they function as if they are only one country, because of the overlapping of things they are implementing to their members.

    • @papagato1399
      @papagato1399 3 года назад +7

      @@ygmsniper of course it is not country . The United kingdom is out of the European union.

    • @shonenjumpmagneto
      @shonenjumpmagneto 3 года назад +4

      What happens when a Border is recognized as a country by other countries against that entities will? Lol.
      What if every country just came out & said "The EU is a soverign country, 1 nation." ???

    • @likmaw
      @likmaw 2 года назад +10

      Nobody would recognize a country that doesn’t recognize itself

    • @shonenjumpmagneto
      @shonenjumpmagneto 2 года назад +1

      @@likmaw yeah but it's not imppssible. They very well coild be a set of variables that have made it so in the past or will make it so.
      Singapor is a great example. Against it's will, given sovereignty & absolute independence.

  • @hge437
    @hge437 4 года назад +730

    The EU isn't a country, but it acts like one.
    The US is a country, but it doesn't act like it lol

    • @krhl9773
      @krhl9773 3 года назад +26

      Where doesnt it act like a country my homie

    • @krhl9773
      @krhl9773 3 года назад +8

      Yo deadass triena be funny💀

    • @_erik_2138
      @_erik_2138 3 года назад +23

      @Patrick Laughing At Your Small PP "I'm ignorant and bitter about everything but the US so I'm gonna be mad at everyone who makes fun of the US."

    • @wiktoriawolny
      @wiktoriawolny 3 года назад +34

      @@krhl9773 well every US state has its own rules, own time zones etc. So yeah... The US doesn't act like a country. If I am going to US in one state I can do something but in other I can't? That's hilarious how US still stays a country.

    • @krhl9773
      @krhl9773 3 года назад +20

      Wiktoria Wolny every Country has states or „regions“ where somethings are allowed and where not

  • @Miru_Man
    @Miru_Man 6 лет назад +2689

    Haha if the EU was a country England would be a country in a country in a country!
    Edit 07/07/2021: I'm aware we left the EU and that this comment is no longer true, this post was made in the past.

    • @dalemonshateu6948
      @dalemonshateu6948 5 лет назад +330

      ArcticGuy
      And the City Of London would be a city in a city, in a country in a country, in a country

    • @dalemonshateu6948
      @dalemonshateu6948 5 лет назад +66

      Tomket cz
      I said the city of London, not London, big difference, the city of London is surrounded by the city we call London, confusing huh?

    • @kaydensoh6742
      @kaydensoh6742 5 лет назад +20

      England would finally be a city

    • @gamermapper
      @gamermapper 5 лет назад +3

      It would be a state like in the US or a republic like in the USSR.

    • @derekwheeler4299
      @derekwheeler4299 5 лет назад +14

      Wait until the UN becomes a country within the galactic union.

  • @itzraddy2127
    @itzraddy2127 6 лет назад +3309

    If Europe was a country, then England is my city

    • @hondoohnakaproductions
      @hondoohnakaproductions 6 лет назад +85

      Bruh

    • @cameronnedrow6017
      @cameronnedrow6017 6 лет назад +3

      Not WhizCraft 2 what?

    • @iantongco8963
      @iantongco8963 6 лет назад +33

      Cameron Nedrow it's a RUclipsr joke Jake Paul's music video where that fat man from England said "England is my city and if it wasn't for team 10 then the U.S would be shitty" (it's a music video)

    • @LPyourplay
      @LPyourplay 6 лет назад +1

      He probably meant the nonsensical BS Gru ber said.

    • @ThatnegroOutta
      @ThatnegroOutta 5 лет назад +9

      Question should be: should European countries be considered states in the EU?
      That sounds about right being England the size of Oregon.

  • @boncegt4
    @boncegt4 5 лет назад +464

    Is the European Union a Country? but everytime he says: "european union" or "EU" it gets faster

  • @wolfgangengel4835
    @wolfgangengel4835 4 года назад +401

    Short answer: No, not yet.

  • @sebastiangripen1095
    @sebastiangripen1095 7 лет назад +326

    Sweden didnt met the criteria to be part of the eurozone, LOL.

    • @Wendoverproductions
      @Wendoverproductions  7 лет назад +251

      Sweden actually voted not to join the Eurozone in a referendum, but they don't have an opt-out, so they've purposefully failed to meet part of the "economic requirement" in order to avoid having to join.

    • @sebastiangripen1095
      @sebastiangripen1095 7 лет назад +52

      thank you. it was misleading in the video.

    • @AdamSmith-gs2dv
      @AdamSmith-gs2dv 7 лет назад +21

      Wendover Productions They have to join ERM II in order to join the Euro. Problem is ERM II is optional to join thus Sweden can avoid the Euro by not joining ERM II and not fulfil the criteria by just avoiding this! Interestingly enough Denmark which has a exception to the Euro is part of ERM II for some reason....

    • @OKANGUVEN99
      @OKANGUVEN99 7 лет назад +1

      Pretty much same with Norway I believe.

    • @AdamSmith-gs2dv
      @AdamSmith-gs2dv 7 лет назад +29

      Okan Güven Norway isn't part of the EU, they are part of the EEA and Schengen but not the EU.

  • @Solden_ghower
    @Solden_ghower 7 лет назад +138

    Ofc European Union is not a country. Thats why its called European UNION not European COUNTRY or STATE. God damn it

    • @jovanweismiller7114
      @jovanweismiller7114 7 лет назад +27

      Ever heard of the UNION of Soviet Socialist Republics? Pretty much a country in anyone's book.

    • @noncanot
      @noncanot 7 лет назад +3

      the UNION of Soviet Socialist Republics was never one country. Dude, do you even history??

    • @georgemacpherson1992
      @georgemacpherson1992 7 лет назад +16

      Hannes Mäeorg Urm actually it was one country until the early 1990's.

    • @Solden_ghower
      @Solden_ghower 7 лет назад +6

      it technically was a country. Other countries "joined" the Russia XDDD

    • @noncanot
      @noncanot 7 лет назад

      Sina Malina No, idiots everywhere. Russia was just one country in USSR just like latvia. USSR did not equal russia! Yes, russia was the biggest country in USSR, (and was therefore heavily dominating) but it was still a union like any other, except a lot of smaller countries were forced to join the union

  • @albinjohnsson2511
    @albinjohnsson2511 4 года назад +255

    Some minor errors:
    1. Sweden opted out of the Euro zone deliberately, following a national referendum. It will not adopt the Euro.
    2. Northern Ireland is not a country, unlike England, Wales, and Scotland that are.
    3. There is a federal district in the U.S. - The District of Columbia.

    • @GuadalupePicasso
      @GuadalupePicasso 4 года назад +11

      I ask in total curiosity, but how is Northern Ireland not considered a country?
      Also, there are multiple, other EU countries that aren’t on the euro: ones that I’ve been to include: Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

    • @xxsupersayen34xxnoe33
      @xxsupersayen34xxnoe33 4 года назад +14

      @@GuadalupePicasso based on what I understand
      the uk used to only be about england and scotland (and thr colonies but shhh).
      walse was considered part of england and ireland was just a powerless territory that happened to be near britain.
      Later walse became independant from england but stayed in the uk and she got the same statue that scotland has. Then there was kind of a civil war in ireland between independantist and pro british, the independantist got their own country(ireland) and the pro british stayed in britain (forming northern ireland)
      but theirs statue within the union did not change and they're still a territory , though they have as much power as scotland and walse so it is basically a de facto vs de jure thing.

    • @KeithBarnesLife
      @KeithBarnesLife 4 года назад +16

      @@xxsupersayen34xxnoe33 In modern day we consider all four nations, countries. That being said, in terms of our internal devolution of legislative and executive, and in certain cases judicial powers, there are differences. England and Scotland are full on countries. Scotland has its own police powers, law (therefore judicial system), and education policy. These pre-date the literal foundations of the UK. As Wales was in Union with England during the Union with Scotland, Wales only has an Assembly, not a parliament. There are discussions on increasing Wales' powers but they come from a different historical base.
      Having explained this, consider that Northern Ireland was a province under direct control Westminster, and you start to see why the Northern Irish secretary had extra powers, in comparison to his Welsh counterpart, but not on the same basis as the Scottish (where those powers - later passed to the Scottish Parliament) come from its past status as a Kingdom in its own right.
      It is so confusing its not even funny but essentially its all based on the status under which they joined the Union.

    • @0xCAFEF00D
      @0xCAFEF00D 3 года назад +10

      About Sweden. Technically we agreed to take the euro assuming we meet certain standards. We meet those standards every year, pretty much.
      But we're not members of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism which you need to have been for 2 years to actually get the euro.
      There's a political commitment to not join the euro without another referendum though. The eurozone crisis really plummeted the reputation of the eurozone and euro here. It's slowly ticking up again but when the crisis was apparent it plummeted to 80% against. We're at 65% against 20% for and 15% are unsure.

    • @chesterdonnelly1212
      @chesterdonnelly1212 3 года назад +1

      @@KeithBarnesLife good explanation. I would like to add that England and Wales is one legal jurisdiction.
      Scotland was a good example to use in this video because it is indispensably a country.
      Northern Ireland is part of a country (Ireland) and part of a sovereign state (the UK).
      Wales is part of the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales.
      England doesn't have a devolved government or parliament.
      So, other than Scotland, the countries of the United Kingdom are not really countries by any kind of objective measure.

  • @Lotantio
    @Lotantio 4 года назад +165

    0:26 "And there's a single government" I love how you showed a picture of the European Central Bank instead of the EU Commission

    • @meandmetoo8436
      @meandmetoo8436 4 года назад +16

      It's so ironic I love it.

    • @edim108
      @edim108 3 года назад +2

      It's so true though.

    • @11Survivor
      @11Survivor 3 года назад +3

      Money does make the world go round, unfortunately.

    • @chiisuigintou
      @chiisuigintou 3 года назад +1

      Ikr, shows how much research he has done.
      I think he spend not much more than 5 sec reading on wiki, thinking he knows it all.
      Didn't say even a single word about BeNeLux, even though the European Union is actually based upon the BeNeLux union.

    • @InitialPC
      @InitialPC 3 года назад +1

      @@chiisuigintou Benelux rocks

  • @43bikeguy
    @43bikeguy 7 лет назад +2476

    This is only a question an American would ask.

    • @whopperlover1772
      @whopperlover1772 7 лет назад +226

      43bikeguy Well that would make sense, kinda like how a European would ask questions about Americans. You're not too bright are you?

    • @Tracomaster
      @Tracomaster 7 лет назад +97

      ByteMe actually i asked the question "is the usa a country" when i was 9

    • @whopperlover1772
      @whopperlover1772 7 лет назад +66

      Tracomaster It's natural lol....some people think Texas is it's own country.

    • @Tracomaster
      @Tracomaster 7 лет назад +167

      ByteMe i bet even some texans think that

    • @whopperlover1772
      @whopperlover1772 7 лет назад +43

      Tracomaster As a Texan, can confirm there have been children that have wondered this....

  • @PirateDogAMV
    @PirateDogAMV 7 лет назад +160

    So nice to hear someone from the US say Scotland is it's own country lol!

    • @tomaslesko6543
      @tomaslesko6543 2 года назад +11

      It's a *"* country *"*

    • @paged_8688
      @paged_8688 2 года назад +1

      Wait does that mean Scotland isn’t a country

    • @orans_
      @orans_ 2 года назад +2

      Its a country, not a nation, not hard to understand the differences.

    • @drtiger1834
      @drtiger1834 2 года назад +3

      @@paged_8688 it’s a country but not a sovereign state. The uk is made of England ,Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

    • @weirdland4902
      @weirdland4902 2 года назад +1

      @@orans_ but what is the difference?

  • @joeyscorpion773
    @joeyscorpion773 5 лет назад +1265

    Is the EU a country?
    No, but actually yes

  • @visitbolivia1218
    @visitbolivia1218 3 года назад +180

    Wendover: *EU is a nation*
    Random British guy: *angry tea noises*

  • @Tony.H03
    @Tony.H03 6 лет назад +244

    Wowowow!
    1:45-1:50
    The Council of Europe IS NOT the same as the Council of the European Union!!! (confusingly enough!)
    The Council of Europe is independent from and older than the EU, althought the two share a flag. The Council of Europe more like the European counterpart to the Organization of American States, and also includes countries like Russia and Turkey. It is more a cultural-scientific institution, compared to the EU, which is a political-economic institution.
    Great video though

    • @doctorpc1531
      @doctorpc1531 5 лет назад +18

      And then there's the European Council, which you could consider as the softer half of the executive branch, made up of all EU nations' presidents and handling big picture stuff without playing a formal role in most legislation.

    • @chiisuigintou
      @chiisuigintou 3 года назад

      It is created to compete against NAFTA,
      so comparing it against the USA, pretty much shows on its own how little he knows about wtf he's talking about.

  • @NotQuiteFirst
    @NotQuiteFirst 7 лет назад +191

    "Sovereignty is not the EU's goal or desire"
    LOL

    • @lencekk
      @lencekk 7 лет назад +67

      Well, it's not.

    • @LeDingueDeJeuxVideos
      @LeDingueDeJeuxVideos 7 лет назад +17

      Alen Napotnik It's arguable, but clearly for now the EU doesn't experct countries to recognize it as one. But yeah,in the future, the goal seems to be a european superstate, for which I would be if there wasn't CETA.

    • @unvergebeneid
      @unvergebeneid 7 лет назад +31

      All EU bodies are either directly elected by the people or they put together by the governments of the member states. So don't act as if the EU was this foreign thing that acts outside of the will of its member states. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but it only makes you sound like some uninformed brexit oaf.

    • @rjfaber1991
      @rjfaber1991 7 лет назад +11

      The people do not decide who goes to the European parliament? I think you might be surprised to hear there are European Parliament elections every four years; you should go vote in one! Also, the idea that money buys power in the EU is frankly ludicrous. Of all supranational organisations, and possibly even of all governments on earth, none has been more of a pain in the backside of large corporations than the EU. The EU is constantly laying down legislation that is designed to protect consumers from the abuses of corporate giants, and has extracted huge fines from some of them for anti-consumer behaviour.

    • @unvergebeneid
      @unvergebeneid 7 лет назад +4

      Robert Faber Exactly. It's the national governments that are far more in bed with their respective industries than the European Parliament. Of course there's the Commission that's a puppet to national governments. Had the brexit-like folks been for more power for the parliament, I might even have been on their side. But democracy has never been their real concern.

  • @speter0208
    @speter0208 4 года назад +31

    0:17 When you say they use the same currency, actually two of the four countries shown have their own currency and don't use the Euro.

    • @andyfidler5022
      @andyfidler5022 3 года назад

      @@TheRealSilverBird apparently you didn't. The half-wit who produced this clearly stated that there is just one currency.

    • @lodgin
      @lodgin 2 года назад +2

      @@andyfidler5022 Clearly you didn't either because he states that those countries have opt-outs of the Eurozone. You're literally just looking to be offended.

    • @chaunceyloveshack9530
      @chaunceyloveshack9530 2 года назад

      @@lodgin clearly you did watch bc that's exactly what happened

    • @starcobra2575
      @starcobra2575 Год назад

      Sweden also will never used the euro they got that wrong.

  • @juliussokolowski4293
    @juliussokolowski4293 4 года назад +21

    1:50 - Council of Europe and Council of the European Union are two different bodies. The former is not even a part of the EU structure.

  • @Asasnol21
    @Asasnol21 7 лет назад +108

    Sweden has a permanent opt out on the euro just like the UK and Denmark.

    • @herkus7560
      @herkus7560 7 лет назад +20

      They don't, they are technically required to once they meet the criteria. Sweden simply doesn't try to meet the criteria.

    • @valfardskrigare9407
      @valfardskrigare9407 7 лет назад +3

      No, we voted to not have the Euro because we would loose on it.

    • @Asasnol21
      @Asasnol21 7 лет назад +11

      Justice for Pets Techincally yes. But the most important critiria that sweden does not fulfil is 2 years membership in the ERM II which it chose not to enter. The EU said fine so its sorta like they have an opt out.

    • @rjfaber1991
      @rjfaber1991 7 лет назад +4

      Sweden does not have an optout on joining the Eurozone, they simply have an optout on one of the requirements to join. This loophole has since been closed, so no new EU members can copy what Sweden did, but by gentleman's agreement, the EU has not retroactively applied these new rules to Sweden.

    • @herkus7560
      @herkus7560 7 лет назад +2

      No, its exactly like that. Sweden hasn't reached the economic targets to join the Eurozone, neither does Romania.
      More on that here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_convergence_criteria#Fulfillment_of_criteria

  • @appa609
    @appa609 7 лет назад +326

    Salt is a social construct!

    • @redbaron827
      @redbaron827 7 лет назад +7

      TRIGGERED!!!

    • @dudewatchesdiysandhowtos8268
      @dudewatchesdiysandhowtos8268 7 лет назад +14

      Everything is a social construct, really. How do you know an apple is an apple or that it's even called an apple?
      Because that's what they told you! :O

    • @Andrew-fn9oc
      @Andrew-fn9oc 7 лет назад +5

      Social construct is not what we 'name it' like apples or salt, but 'something' whether we call an apple an apple or a woojibeflip, it is still the same thing, countries are a social construct because we can change what country means and what it is... We created the rules of being a country not nature. (:

    • @EthanParmetItsDaBunny
      @EthanParmetItsDaBunny 7 лет назад +1

      Your face is a social construct!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • @op8288
      @op8288 7 лет назад +5

      Nope!
      Salt is a Sodium construction!

  • @haze154
    @haze154 5 лет назад +140

    Sweden has Economy good enough to use euro but voted not to use it.

    • @Axel227
      @Axel227 4 года назад +1

      Jazza Mapping wow

    • @finnishwehraboo8377
      @finnishwehraboo8377 4 года назад +18

      They are the big gay

    • @Axel227
      @Axel227 4 года назад +6

      Finnish Wehraboo yeah that liberal country

    • @adhamhmacconchobhair4407
      @adhamhmacconchobhair4407 3 года назад +11

      Ireland didn't get to vote :(
      I hate the euro, our old currency was beautiful and strong

    • @leonardopoli6206
      @leonardopoli6206 3 года назад +9

      @@adhamhmacconchobhair4407 hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahah

  • @meandmetoo8436
    @meandmetoo8436 4 года назад +45

    0:16 that empire's long gone.

    • @alengrm7488
      @alengrm7488 4 года назад +2

      Emm Slovenia is not included soo

    • @rankovasek1987
      @rankovasek1987 3 года назад +1

      make the United States of Greater Austria great again!

  • @jellyman1735
    @jellyman1735 7 лет назад +75

    Actually salt is a metal bonded to a non metal. *Table salt* is sodium bonded to chlorine.

    • @Ladifour
      @Ladifour 7 лет назад +22

      Jelly Man So many flavours and you choose to be salty.

    • @quinrizer6143
      @quinrizer6143 7 лет назад +10

      Jelly Man I'm pretty sure he was referring to table salt. A quick question, do you say table salt every time you mean salt?

    • @B3Band
      @B3Band 7 лет назад +9

      I think it's hilarious that, in his attempt to be a pedantic ass, Jelly Man actually revealed himself to be a *wrong*, pedantic ass!

    • @jarmo_kiiski
      @jarmo_kiiski 7 лет назад

      I was about to write this exact same comment...

    • @str8dominican
      @str8dominican 7 лет назад +4

      Actually, you're all wrong. Salt is one third of the 1980's rap group Salt N Pepa. You're welcome!

  • @xpto41
    @xpto41 7 лет назад +57

    Europe is not a country. Each country of Europe have their own traditions, culture, history, etc

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 7 лет назад +2

      Exactly.

    • @xpto41
      @xpto41 7 лет назад +9

      nattygsbord but for a american ignorant, we should be a country LOL

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 7 лет назад +9

      The just see a landmass on a map and think they can merge it. And when American tourists gets to Europe they say they have seen France after 2 days in Paris and a few days in Germany. They simply don't get the deeper dimensions of Europe.
      And yes there are similiarities, but there are also huge differences between the countries.

    • @xpto41
      @xpto41 7 лет назад

      nattygsbord and the european union project failed

    • @mario__265
      @mario__265 7 лет назад

      Because every country is culturally the same (except for every empire ever)

  • @KatinoBerete
    @KatinoBerete 5 лет назад +187

    I'm Lithuanian and I love living in Europe!

  • @Nikkstein
    @Nikkstein 4 года назад +266

    Short answer: No
    Long answer:
    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    • @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527
      @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527 4 года назад +7

      Reality : YESSSSSS

    • @zlosliwa_menda
      @zlosliwa_menda 4 года назад +6

      @@bca-biciclindcuaxel7527 Do you really believe that, with Brexit right around the corner and Germany essentially waging low-level political war against Poland? EU is essentially a mountain of trade agreements with a single currency zone for some of its member countries.

    • @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527
      @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527 4 года назад +3

      @@zlosliwa_menda Brexit will never happen and the Majority of Europeans to whom I spoke want to live United in a Strong European Federation State.

    • @zlosliwa_menda
      @zlosliwa_menda 4 года назад +2

      @@bca-biciclindcuaxel7527 Dude, you're in a bubble, surrounded by other europhiles. Look around, look at what's happening in Europe. Read news from different political options, maybe then you will see the real picture.
      And brexit is already decided.

    • @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527
      @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527 4 года назад

      @@zlosliwa_menda You are not sane in the head :)) European Union has today a stronger real economy than USA. People from outside Europe die everyday just to enter European Union and become Europeans. And Brexit is just a bad joke, it will never happen. You'' ll see for yourself how deluded you are lmao.

  • @wyattmccarthy1225
    @wyattmccarthy1225 5 лет назад +59

    5:19
    Found Waldo!

  • @micnamearvebro5421
    @micnamearvebro5421 6 лет назад +422

    Sweden has reached the target a while ago but just as denmark and the uk dosen't want to join

    • @puernatura8998
      @puernatura8998 6 лет назад +46

      Mortimer Laforet Why should a sovereign state give up its right to control its own currency? Besides, Sweden already voted against adopting the EU in 2003.

    • @puernatura8998
      @puernatura8998 6 лет назад +43

      Rune Jensen
      DEXIT
      SWEXIT
      ITALEXIT
      POLEAVE
      FREXIT
      SPEXIT
      NETHERLEAVE

    • @suyci
      @suyci 6 лет назад +32

      Netherleave... that cracked me up :D

    • @stepanlukasek1978
      @stepanlukasek1978 6 лет назад +1

      Czechia never determine the target...

    • @dadude4960
      @dadude4960 6 лет назад +13

      no. the Euro is a failed currency, as nations that do not show year-to-year stability use this currency as the standard. actually the majority of nations that use it as a standard are unstable economically.
      France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, Lithuania 2.
      if the Euro was shared only among Germany, Finland, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium, then we would join.
      we are satisfied with our economic growth until then.

  • @klaudusia9546
    @klaudusia9546 4 года назад +172

    "Is the European Union a Country?"
    American's : Yes

    • @krhl9773
      @krhl9773 3 года назад +3

      You should go to school💀

    • @klaudusia9546
      @klaudusia9546 3 года назад +22

      1. I'm going to school
      2. It was a Meme/Joke
      Yk?

    • @krhl9773
      @krhl9773 3 года назад +1

      xyz 123 you said american‘s, thats why yk?

    • @klaudusia9546
      @klaudusia9546 3 года назад +6

      @@krhl9773 um bruh bc forget it :)

    • @krhl9773
      @krhl9773 3 года назад

      xyz 123 my nigga deadass playin games💀

  • @delinger5296
    @delinger5296 4 года назад +16

    0:18 Hm, states of old Austria-Hungary.

    • @BlaudracheLP
      @BlaudracheLP 3 года назад

      The states of the Austro-Hungarian Republic :^)

  • @lusitanimendes641
    @lusitanimendes641 7 лет назад +672

    When two youtubers that you follow collaborate :D

    • @macvena
      @macvena 7 лет назад +8

      Lusitani Mendes "collaborate"

    • @lusitanimendes641
      @lusitanimendes641 7 лет назад +1

      MAC VENA thanks

    • @joshomosh1
      @joshomosh1 7 лет назад +1

      Lusitani Mendes I know I love it

    • @Kodlaken
      @Kodlaken 7 лет назад +3

      I really want to know why this unfinished sentence shit started, saying "When two youtubers that you follow collaborate" is just as stupid as saying "I can't even believe that he said"

    • @carbonzl1994
      @carbonzl1994 7 лет назад +1

      Kodlaken Your sentence is "unfinished". You forgot your punctuation at the end of that sentence.

  • @xxDrain
    @xxDrain 7 лет назад +37

    I am offensive and I find this video a citizen of Latvia

  • @james2042
    @james2042 5 лет назад +14

    0:29 found the plane in this vid

  • @airbornegomez
    @airbornegomez 5 лет назад +10

    0:52 I lived in this beautiful country for 10.5 years. I grew up in a small village called Villers-Saint-Ghislain, Mons in the Haniaut Province. I traveled to over 18 countries while living in Europe. My most cherished memories are that of which were experienced through my time overseas. I miss Belgium and would love to go back.

  • @algot34
    @algot34 7 лет назад +70

    A better title would be "Why isn't the European Union a country?", because everyone knows that the European Union isn't a country already.

    • @blacktempluh3360
      @blacktempluh3360 7 лет назад +1

      algot34 And, that isn't true. Some actually could.

    • @jamesedwards1284
      @jamesedwards1284 7 лет назад +17

      algot34 ..... americans mate ....

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG 7 лет назад

      algot34 Also, the current title invokes Betterage's Law of Headlines.

    • @pic4315
      @pic4315 5 лет назад

      There are 325.7 million people who don’t know

  • @arijao92
    @arijao92 7 лет назад +387

    Is there an actual person who would think EU is a country...

    • @tommasotirellip.7296
      @tommasotirellip.7296 7 лет назад +183

      yes, Americans

    • @herpsenderpsen
      @herpsenderpsen 7 лет назад +23

      yes, many believe that.

    • @HoubkneghteS
      @HoubkneghteS 7 лет назад +2

      you

    • @HoubkneghteS
      @HoubkneghteS 7 лет назад +15

      I call bullshit. I can name way more european countries than europeans can name our states.

    • @herpsenderpsen
      @herpsenderpsen 7 лет назад +93

      Difference being that we are actual independent countries and your states are not

  • @tauistheworst5350
    @tauistheworst5350 5 лет назад +7

    3:42 DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, The Northern Mariana Islands, The United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and a lot of uninhabited lands would like a word.

  • @sophiatheczech1918
    @sophiatheczech1918 3 года назад +8

    "They use same currency"
    screaming in Czech intensifies

    • @tomaslesko6543
      @tomaslesko6543 2 года назад

      You will in the future though.

    • @sophiatheczech1918
      @sophiatheczech1918 2 года назад

      @@tomaslesko6543 Not even current President want to use Euros, so very far future.

    • @tomaslesko6543
      @tomaslesko6543 2 года назад

      @@sophiatheczech1918 yes. Very far. Česko bude jeden z posledných členov ktoré príjmu euro, ale raz to bude musieť prísť.

    • @sophiatheczech1918
      @sophiatheczech1918 2 года назад

      @@tomaslesko6543 Podle mího by to bylo lepší kdyby jsme začali používat eura.

  • @DSN112358
    @DSN112358 7 лет назад +87

    Little error: Switzerland is also part of the Schengen zone. Greetings from Basel :)

    • @Tebbe1997
      @Tebbe1997 6 лет назад +8

      It's still in the Schengen

    • @naelmeter4467
      @naelmeter4467 6 лет назад +5

      TimiK He didn’t say it was un the EU he said it was in Schengen zone don’t be blind.

    • @naelmeter4467
      @naelmeter4467 6 лет назад +1

      DSN112358 Grüsse von Genf :)

    • @neverluckym8728
      @neverluckym8728 6 лет назад +8

      I think he means that you can freely travel between EU countries and Switzerland. It also works for Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland because of the EFTA :)

    • @Adrian-rb4qp
      @Adrian-rb4qp 4 года назад +2

      Gnocchis à poêler Grüsse von Norwegen😂

  • @EvanCDavies
    @EvanCDavies 7 лет назад +314

    In conclusion... the EU is a confederation of independent states. One could argue that the United States was in the same position before its Civil War as the EU is now. Before the war, it was accepted that states were sovereign; afterward that they were in some sense subservient to the federal government. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin Gates (National Treasure), "Before the war people said 'the United States are...' afterward they said 'the United States is...'."

    • @Ackreti
      @Ackreti 6 лет назад +34

      Not really. US exists to create a country. EU exists to create a continental union from many countries.

    • @arbiteras
      @arbiteras 6 лет назад +19

      The EU wants to bind together in a economic oligarchy multiple states and drop the economic standard to make more money and help international industries milk the workers
      Fuck the EU, long live the european nations

    • @SuperSMT
      @SuperSMT 6 лет назад +20

      An even closer analog to the EU is the US before and after the Constitution. The original United States under the Articles of Confederation 1776-1789 was a lot closer to the current EU situation - though still not exactly the same. The US of 1789 to the Civil War was kind-of halfway between the EU and the present-day US.

    • @hondoohnakaproductions
      @hondoohnakaproductions 6 лет назад +1

      Evan D cant be confederation of independant states that copyright of star wars listen to this copyright 5:08

    • @EebstertheGreat
      @EebstertheGreat 6 лет назад +9

      It's not the same at all. The Constitution is explicit that federal law trumps state law and that federal courts trump state courts. That is not the case in the EU. When the EU passes a law, it is up to each member state to decide how and if to implement it. Many states simply do not do so, and the EU has no enforcement power, except to penalize them in the context of the union itself or eject them from it. No EU army is going to march on the UK the way Washington marched on Whiskey protestors. There is no sovereign nation that is really comparable to a supranational entity like the EU.

  • @bs5199
    @bs5199 Год назад +2

    This is one of the best videos I've ever seen about the EU (on RUclips)

  • @DianneAlexander4858
    @DianneAlexander4858 3 года назад +4

    Wendover productions: “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”
    Wales: *sad wales noises*

    • @ashaydwivedi420
      @ashaydwivedi420 3 года назад +1

      Great Britain includes (most of) Wales

  • @DA-bm2mj
    @DA-bm2mj 7 лет назад +61

    what do people of EU think of their nationalities? do they think they're European citizens or citizens of an individual country?

    • @Kalabenos
      @Kalabenos 7 лет назад +256

      We identify as citizens of an individual country.

    • @adimhvc
      @adimhvc 7 лет назад +87

      Some feel European, some feel just their "nationality," and some feel both. But as more and more people are being born to "mixed" parents (since we don't have borders and you can live and work anywhere in the EU-there's much more of that nowadays), it's becoming increasingly more difficult to feel anything else but European.. #IAmEuropean

    • @aidanfuge2108
      @aidanfuge2108 7 лет назад +16

      Dias Amreé I'm a UK citizen and if someone asked me my nationality I'd probably say British, but until we leave the EU I consider myself European

    • @aidanfuge2108
      @aidanfuge2108 7 лет назад +16

      Dias Amreé and even once we leave I'm European, but officially a citizen of Britain

    • @spabuki
      @spabuki 7 лет назад +46

      Dias Amreé The vast majority idenrifies as their country or a specific ethnicity/part of their country (for example Basques in Spain)
      but there are people, especially young people who see themself more like europeans, because they never knew europe differently then it is today.
      If someone would ask my, i would say i'm an Austrian, but quite often I feel more like a Euripean, because.. where's the difference? We share so much history and culture, besides the fact that fight and quarrel only hinders us in progressing and living in harmony

  • @fobusas
    @fobusas 7 лет назад +72

    Couple of things missing from this video.
    1. EU is not a country because EU didn't say it was a country. First step to becoming a country is proclamation of statehood by the country to be, and EU haven't done that, and don't have the intention in the near future. Partly because populus needs to buy into this notion.
    2. EU is a supranational union. EU has power because member states unilaterally delegated some of the sovereignty to this organization.
    3. EU is also sui generis. More organizations like that may follow, but the level of integration makes it pretty unique, so any atttempts to shoehorn it into a label of state, confederation, federation, etc, will seem half baked.

    • @snappysnoot7540
      @snappysnoot7540 7 лет назад

      Fobus In the dark #1 and #2 were mentioned in the vid

    • @EdgyNumber1
      @EdgyNumber1 6 лет назад

      So in effect, *the EU is a subservient organisation?*
      Let me get this straight:
      *Council of Europe:*
      Is represented by the democratically elected governments.
      *European Parliament:*
      Is represented by the citizens.
      *The European Commission:*
      Is the body that basically signs everything into law *only if* the PARLIAMENT and the COUNCIL vote in together.
      So the commission *cannot force laws upon us.* They have be agreed between democratically elected heads of state (council) AND our democratically elected MEP's (parliament)?
      So why are people saying that the EU is undemocratic?

    • @2229286
      @2229286 6 лет назад

      Uhhh he did say that lol towards the end, did u not finish the video before typing this up???

  • @PatrikJJr
    @PatrikJJr 4 года назад +6

    You used Cz. rep., Slovakia, Austria and Hungary out of which only 50% use the Euro as their currency

  • @denis_denis05
    @denis_denis05 4 года назад +24

    Well , it's not a country , it's a organization but it acts like a country .
    There are no borders , if you live in EU , you can legally work anywhere you want in EU , you can use your regional phone number in any EU's country without extra-cost (for example if you're from Greece and you go to Spain, you can use your Greek phone number without costs) . On any car's number plates there isn't the country's flag , it's the EU's flag . The EU acts equally for every country and it helps undeveloped countries (like Croatia , Hungary , Romania , Bulgary , even Italy and Spain as they were hit hard by coronavirus) to develop as fast as possible .
    As a citizen of EU , I don't see it as a dictatorship or that the EU is just Germany that wants to develop . It's more like making the population happy by improving the trades , the culture and by the cheap travel around the EU . And Germany , France and Great Britain had to spend a lot of money on the rest of the EU's members (eventually GB gave up) . It will pay off in a day
    I don't care what the fuck are you saying that's only dictatorship , bad laws and communism , as much as we live great and everybody can travel to EU as a tourist , I see it as a win . No war , trade and help to poor countries doesn't means communism

    • @SCYN0
      @SCYN0 4 года назад +5

      Perfectly explained. If Poland Hungary would wanna leave they will see how the frictionless trade between EU members will miss them very much and they'll either see a recession and a less valuable currency

    • @meatiesogarcia6478
      @meatiesogarcia6478 3 года назад +1

      That's not the entire story. You're telling the bright side of the EU, and there is a bright side, of course. But the EU is considered a "dictatorship" because it doesn't function under the rule of the people. Nobody elects the Comission. Of the three branches of government showed in the video, only one is directly elected by the people, the powerless one. Also, European funds can be great to develop poor regions and countries, that's true. But it also puts those regions economically under the thumb of the rich ones, and make those economies dependant of the richer countries. Poorer countries receive funds from the EU, but also they cannot compete like a foreign country with tariffs, cheaper currency...
      Most of the EU has a single currency, but there is no single fiscality. That means the value of the Euro depends on the economy of the Euro region, but there is no European debt, because the countries finance themselves. That means countries have to compete in trade with one hand tied to the back. When a country's economy suffers a blow and the domestic market losses power, companies will want to try export to compensate, and a cheaper currency can make those exports happen (that has been China's strategy for decades). If the country devaluates its currency, its products will be cheaper in richer countries. But poor EU countries cannot do that, so it's more difficult to recover from recession. So that country's economy cannot improve, and therefore it's more difficult for that country to finance itself, because the interest is higher considering the poor state of the economy. That would be partially solved if the Euro region countries share the same economy, same rates, but no, that's not possible because the richer and more developed countries would be paying more and that would be unfair (and it would, as it is unfair for poorer countries to sell their products with a rich country currency). That means a country cannot do anything to solve its economic problems, it cannot get money from any other source than cutting expenses, like healthcare and education, so that country hinders its own path to developing, so people from that country have to flee to the richer countries of the EU (because there is no visa for working in the EU) so those richer countries can have cheap highly skilled labour and can develop even further and making things slightly worse for its own "rich" citizens...
      Also, companies can operate freely within the EU, but taxes are local, so companies will always base their operations (at least fiscally) in low tax countries that will be never consider tax heavens because they're part of the EU and tax heaves are for brown people in the Caribbean, not for responsible hardworking European countries. We can let the Greeks to rot for all we care, at least we can visit Athens without having to apply for a tourist visa (something SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO complicated for a German citizen, whose passport grants access to only 189 countries).
      Yeah, some of us are not as happy as the EU as some of you. Even though I don't agree with the British who vote for leaving, I cannot blame them for wanting out, even if it wasn't entirely sensible or rational. Mistakes were made ten years ago and nothing changed, and the same mistakes will be make in this current crisis, enough to make people who wanted to see one day the United States of Europe to curse that travesty of rotten future that it is the current European Union. "The EU acts equally for every country". What a joke, go tell it to Giorgios Papadopoulos, he'll find it funny as hell, I tell you that.

    • @11Survivor
      @11Survivor 3 года назад +1

      @@meatiesogarcia6478 The EU acts equally for countries that pull their weight equally.
      If a country just waits for the cash cheque, it's not going to get a lot of support on the parlaiment.

    • @chiisuigintou
      @chiisuigintou 3 года назад

      The EU was formed as a union to compete against NAFTA.
      This was based upon the BeNeLux union.
      This is also the reason why the headquarters is based in Belgium.
      You wouldn't call NAFTA a nation, so why would you call the EU a nation?

  • @naleek12
    @naleek12 7 лет назад +25

    For a Country to be a Country
    It needs to be considered a Country by a bounch of other country's

    • @francescosorce5189
      @francescosorce5189 5 лет назад

      @Electro_blob each other
      if treating a group of people near you as a country was beneficial (for example to trade) then you'd do it, add the other perspective and boom, two countries from thin air... or rather from people.

    • @francescosorce5189
      @francescosorce5189 5 лет назад +1

      @Electro_blob If everyone believes I'm a country... I'm a country
      a really weird one, but I would

  • @DamianDeEu
    @DamianDeEu 7 лет назад +174

    'Is the European Union a Country?' No, but that's where I think the EU is actually heading.

    • @shoowikaczynski2718
      @shoowikaczynski2718 7 лет назад +25

      Damian De unfortunately

    • @liamdavis2387
      @liamdavis2387 7 лет назад +63

      Good. The age of European superpowers is over. We can only remain relevant on the international stage as a unified country. A European Federation would solve this.

    • @DerpSenpai
      @DerpSenpai 7 лет назад +14

      no and it wont be, ever, like he said "its not his goal" the EU doesnt need more power from its countries, the only thing that can change is how the EU parlament works and those stuff, in lights of the recent populist urges brought by fear and faked terror.
      Though i wouldnt mind turning into a country, also reason for a change in how the Eu works should come because countries goverments say bs like "its the EU's fault we suck now!" when they are down and "We are good now, it was our work!" when they are good, basically shifting blame onto the EU, and thats exactly why the EU might change soon, so countries cant blame the problems they created on the union.
      The Eu actually protects their states from their own goverments to a certain extent and thats good. EU regulations are there and set in place to protect the citizen. Thats why the UK big companies wanted brexit, so they can stop following such rules and can work by the law of the UK only, so national companies gain from this, as they are more loose and multinational lose in that regard because of the market.
      just my 2 cents about the union, for all the haters.

    • @richardtaylor4362
      @richardtaylor4362 7 лет назад +5

      João Cardoso
      You are wrong sadly, this has been a plan from the start, ever closer Union until it is too difficult to wriggle away, this is the critical year to come however, if LePen and Wilders win a referendum could happen in which case both France and the Netherlands would leave.

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 7 лет назад +6

      According to the 4 freedoms in the Maastricht treaty every country is forbidden to restrict the markets. Neoliberalism is state religion in the constitution. So if you don't want people fucked over by corporations and value democracy, the welfare state, government control over the economy and workers rights - well, then you should obviously wish for the EU to die.

  • @bobashkov1407
    @bobashkov1407 5 лет назад

    Great video, awesome channel. Just wanted to point out that "criteria" is plural for criterion.

  • @dododakowski2813
    @dododakowski2813 5 лет назад +31

    So now i ask you: "what if the EU would be it's own state"

    • @saltybread7500
      @saltybread7500 3 года назад

      forget D.C. or Puerto Rico as 51st state, WWlll bouta happen

    • @moonagaming6068
      @moonagaming6068 3 года назад +2

      nope

    • @finskar18
      @finskar18 2 года назад +2

      The whole thing would implode in about 4 days after it's creation

  • @CommissarMitch
    @CommissarMitch 7 лет назад +70

    Sweden is not oblighed to enter the Eurozone, else we would have done so years ago.
    EU is a union full of asterisk **

    • @pauljones3017
      @pauljones3017 7 лет назад +13

      CGPGrey fan?

    • @CommissarMitch
      @CommissarMitch 7 лет назад +3

      Yep, and also a man who happens to live within the EU, so I have to know both American, and EU laws.

    • @varana
      @varana 7 лет назад +7

      It is, by its treaty of accession.
      After a referendum in 2003 resulting in a vote against the Euro, however, they have continued to "not fulfil the criteria" for joining the Eurozone on a technicality.

    • @nuttex
      @nuttex 7 лет назад +7

      Sweden is, actually. They've merely willingly failed to fulfill the requirements of joining the Eurozone by not joining ERM II which happens to be optional.

    • @Rebasepoiss
      @Rebasepoiss 7 лет назад +12

      That is not true. Sweden is 100% obligated to join the Eurozone but they aren't obligated to join ERM II which is a prerequisite for joining the Eurozone...so it's a legal loophole which Sweden has decided to use.

  • @Tony.H03
    @Tony.H03 6 лет назад +39

    Oi Sam! 1:47 : the Council of Europe is noooot the same as the Council of the EU!!
    I know that sounds confusing and it's an easy mistake to make, but they're veeeery different entities.
    The Council of the EU is the group of ministers and heads of government that represent single countries from the EU and has to approve every proposed EU law.
    The Council of Europe, on the other hand, is a cultural organisation with 40+ members which confusingly uses the same flag (which is why you can find the European flag on Russian agencies sometimes) that focuses on human rights, fair elections, and cultural cooperation, but is nooothing like the financial and political Union that the EU is.
    Just wanted to clear that up. I don't think either of them would like it if you would call them by the other's name.

  • @eliyasne9695
    @eliyasne9695 4 года назад +3

    3:45
    There's federal land, that is entirely controlled by the federal government and not by the state. (Even though its technically in the state borders)

  • @dreamofsprings
    @dreamofsprings 2 года назад +1

    "Use the same currency" Visible confusion as swede that travels sometimes to germany through denmark

  • @inkyscrolls5193
    @inkyscrolls5193 6 лет назад +104

    #SaltIsASocialConstruct

    • @juno6994
      @juno6994 5 лет назад +2

      @@strawberrysoup1 yes, that is true.

    •  5 лет назад

      @@strawberrysoup1 give it a try then

  • @Saperwill
    @Saperwill 7 лет назад +217

    eu is not a country. its a club you can participate or leave

    • @thetrippymushroom
      @thetrippymushroom 7 лет назад +16

      We can't leave EU because elected people are bribed to stay in EU...

    • @lrs2319
      @lrs2319 7 лет назад +13

      And what is for you the Brexit ? The name of the last blockbuster of Hollywood ?

    • @Saperwill
      @Saperwill 7 лет назад +4

      TaoTeKitten britain is leaving right now.

    • @paulol7224
      @paulol7224 7 лет назад +4

      **NO GIRLS ALLOWED**
      Anyone else remember those first grader jokes?

    • @whydoievenbothertoputthish2199
      @whydoievenbothertoputthish2199 7 лет назад +3

      sarud durdstrom its a fucking crap club cus the cool kids need to pay and provide for all the bastards trieng to get in like greece portugal spain etc and now even a fucking turkey wants in dunno if club or a zoo xd

  • @calibvr
    @calibvr 5 лет назад +2

    Ireland and Britain have their own Schengen zone

  • @benjaminmarker
    @benjaminmarker 4 года назад +2

    I had no idea the rest of the EU also uses the Danish Krone.. Thanks Wendover, you sure know what you are talking about... I'll make sure to use them next time in the UK...

  • @MatthewSalzer
    @MatthewSalzer 6 лет назад +65

    May I suggest making a video that explains the structure of the USSR?

    • @unitedstatesofamericareal
      @unitedstatesofamericareal 5 лет назад +8

      What USSR?

    • @robertjarman3703
      @robertjarman3703 5 лет назад +10

      That changed over time, from a relatively collective leadership structure in the beginning, to Stalin dominating everything until he died in 1953, then after a few weeks of a leadership crisis, collective leadership really did begin under Khrushchev, then he was ousted by a vote of the Politburo, then Brezhnev took over until he died, and other odd quirks.
      I'm going to be explaining the 1977 constitution, there were two others of importance, the one created at the beginning of the Soviet Union in 1924 and another by Stalin in 1932.
      You have to start with the Supreme Soviet, which actually means a council, in Russian. This was split into two bodies, the Soviet of Nationalities and the Soviet of the Union. Both were directly elected every 5 years, although until the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev, all the candidates were basically approved by the governing party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). The Soviet of Nationalities assigned the subdivisions of the USSR a number of deputies. A Republic was one of the 15 soviet republics, although for obvious reasons Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia weren't very happy about that idea. A republic had to be big enough, full of a specific ethnic or similar group (such as ethnic Russians or Ukrainians) and connected to an exterior border in a way that made it able to exercise it's right to secede from the USSR (not exercised of course until Glasnost and Perestroika). Each had 32 deputies. Autonomous republics, subdivisions of the constituent Republic, had 11 deputies. Autonomous oblasts had 5 deputies. And national districts had one each.
      The Soviet of the Union gave had one deputy for every 300 thousand people, divided into districts for the purpose of ensuring such a ratio. It was also directly elected in the same way, although candidates were approved in the same way by the CPSU.
      They met for usually a week or two each year, approving all the rules made by the executive, and elected the executive and in theory had the power to dismiss the executive.
      In practice though, the CPSU had the power and not the elected government.

    • @dimitriousdrake
      @dimitriousdrake 5 лет назад +2

      USSR was one sovereign state, made up of 15 republics, similar to states, as seen in the US.

    • @robertjarman3703
      @robertjarman3703 5 лет назад +1

      Lil Broomstick That fact was pretty irrelevant until Mikhail Gorbachev became premier.

    • @robertjarman3703
      @robertjarman3703 5 лет назад +1

      EDIT, that would be General Secretary not premier.

  • @ByJasons
    @ByJasons 7 лет назад +30

    I'm Italian, the EU is more like a confederation than a federation, unlike the USA where Federal Laws overtakes State laws, in the EU "confederate" laws are not primary, instead, State Laws are. The EU has some federate features, like the one currency, but it's not applied in all EU countries; countries with the "Euro" are inside of the Eurozone, which is a MONETARY UNION but NOT a FISCAL UNION.

    • @Ulkomaalainen
      @Ulkomaalainen 7 лет назад +3

      Not arguing that the EU is a country (it clearly is not, because literally nobody says so), but EU law can beat national law and does all the time. I just think of it as "my country has entered a treaty which says A but our laws say B, to uphold the treaty we need to change to A"

    • @ZachBillings
      @ZachBillings 7 лет назад

      Jeck federal laws actually do not supersede state laws in the USA. That is a popular misconception, even among Americans.

    • @bfedezl2018
      @bfedezl2018 7 лет назад +2

      Ulkomaalainen Well, if you didn't like the rules do not enter. The brits aaaaaalways said things like you just have and It was annoying and a burden to us all

    • @BlunderCity
      @BlunderCity 7 лет назад +7

      Actually that's not true: community law is superior to national law and always has been. You can go to the European Court of Justice and decisions by national courts can be overturned.
      But you are right to say that the EU is a confederation as opposed to a federation... or rather, it is a confederation that is slowly shifting towards a federation. It started in 1993 with the Maastricht Treaty when the EEC became the EU and a number of federal like features started to emerge (single currency, unified internal market, European citizenship etc...)
      It's actually very similar to what the United States went through in the late 18th and early 19th century.

    • @ByJasons
      @ByJasons 7 лет назад +3

      Absolutely, the EU is slowly shifting to a federation. But right now, it's NOT a federation because every state of the union is sovereign. The States rules the EU, not contrary.

  • @bg1052
    @bg1052 2 года назад +3

    3:40 that's not completely true. While the majority of our federal land is within a states territory, it's really only in practice. Federal land is completely under the control of the federal government. None of the states have any control over federal land. They just kinda say it's theirs without it really being theirs.

  • @baljeep_gay
    @baljeep_gay 4 года назад +21

    actually, sweden has a permanent opt-out, just like the UK, we had a referendum some years ago about it.

    • @gebys4559
      @gebys4559 4 года назад +4

      Sweden is delaying joining ERMII, that's not an opt out. There isn't really a mechanism to for EU to speed it up though. Only UK has an opt out, Danish one pegs their currency to euro.

  • @davidradimersky5463
    @davidradimersky5463 7 лет назад +8

    Hello Wendover, I'd like to thank you for making such awesome content that will always make me entertained and also educated.

  • @moi4791
    @moi4791 6 лет назад +916

    Damn, all the hate in the comments...I'm actually proud to be European...

    • @alex2022anticoruptie
      @alex2022anticoruptie 6 лет назад +118

      90 % are russians trolls payed to hate European Union , 10 % are morons

    • @foorack
      @foorack 6 лет назад +9

      Well said!

    • @hansgruber788
      @hansgruber788 6 лет назад +12

      what does that even mean?

    • @foorack
      @foorack 6 лет назад +5

      What do you mean? 🤔

    • @hansgruber788
      @hansgruber788 6 лет назад +49

      What does it mean to be "proud to be european". What is it to be european?? I don't have a fucking clue its so generic its as if he said proud to be human. Thats how little the concept of europeanism means to me

  • @bulivlad
    @bulivlad 3 года назад +2

    Surprised how noone from Ireland got mad at 3:27

  • @RedoStone35
    @RedoStone35 4 года назад +2

    Lootcrate is the 2016 version of Raid Shadow Legends.

  • @Sasha-qf8eu
    @Sasha-qf8eu 7 лет назад +11

    You got one thing wrong at 1:09, Sweden maintains that joining the ERM II (a requirement for euro adoption) is voluntary, and has chosen to remain outside pending public approval by a referendum, thereby intentionally avoiding the fulfilment of the adoption requirements. So they actually have reached the economical target long ago. But have opted not to take the Euro

    • @rjfaber1991
      @rjfaber1991 7 лет назад

      Indeed. In fact, Sweden actually maintains more fiscal autonomy than Denmark, who do have their own currency, but one that is pegged to the Euro.

    • @BlunderCity
      @BlunderCity 7 лет назад +1

      Yes you are correct. But there is a difference between what Sweden had and what the UK and Denmark have. The latter two have a legally recognised opt-out from the euro. Sweden however is opting out using a legal loophole.
      The result is the same but there is a technical difference.

    • @RoScFan
      @RoScFan 7 лет назад

      BlunderCity so, do they keep inflation high or what?

    • @BlunderCity
      @BlunderCity 7 лет назад

      RoScFan
      What? I don't follow.

    • @rjfaber1991
      @rjfaber1991 7 лет назад

      BlunderCity I could be misinterpreting, but I think RoScFan is asking about the reasons why the Swedes have not adopted the Euro or pegged the Crown to it, and whether that maybe has someting to do with being able to control their own inflation rates.

  • @fiffi5318
    @fiffi5318 6 лет назад +651

    Im proud of beeing in the eu, After thousands years of war, we can finally work together.

    • @DeaNizBack
      @DeaNizBack 6 лет назад +65

      haha another reedneck :). Calls himself "anti-feminist" and fears "an islamic invasion". dude get some help

    • @fiffi5318
      @fiffi5318 6 лет назад +11

      wtf, we wont get the sharia

    • @fiffi5318
      @fiffi5318 6 лет назад +2

      Andrew Jackson you are wrong madude, I mean im very sure that there are a Hand full of rules that are the same, but if you are a Bad guy you still have good ideas, I mean hitler build the Autobahn.

    • @venkatsusheelg9658
      @venkatsusheelg9658 6 лет назад +2

      still cant be country we already achieved it as India. : P

    • @rusthomas8710
      @rusthomas8710 6 лет назад +1

      as an american that's the way i see the EU and i won't apologise for it.

  • @cellamuert
    @cellamuert 3 года назад

    RLL and Wendover, name a more iconic duo. I'll wait.

  • @duncanwalsh7337
    @duncanwalsh7337 5 лет назад +17

    Uk and Ireland aren’t in the schengen zone as they share an open border in Northern Ireland

    • @bricksburger5409
      @bricksburger5409 4 года назад +1

      The zone for the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland only work between eachother

    • @adhamhmacconchobhair4407
      @adhamhmacconchobhair4407 3 года назад

      That's for peace keeping reasons..

    • @adhamhmacconchobhair4407
      @adhamhmacconchobhair4407 3 года назад

      -Northern Ireland was colonised.
      -Wasnt gave back to Ireland post independence
      -civil war broke out
      -a treaty was made
      -in the treaty northern ireland can vote to join Ireland and an open border will he kept either way
      Problems:
      -colonists get the vote
      Future:
      -if they vote and win, civil war will break out again
      -if they dont vote civil war will break out again

  • @rphxx6906
    @rphxx6906 6 лет назад +84

    Short answer: NO
    Long answer: THIS VIDEO

    • @chiisuigintou
      @chiisuigintou 3 года назад

      Short answer: no
      Long answer: is NAFTA a nation?

  • @Taric25
    @Taric25 6 лет назад +104

    "A lot of you ask how you can support the channel." I have never once seen a RUclips comment asking this, ever.

    • @Simon-zq9cw
      @Simon-zq9cw 4 года назад

      Taric Alani well duh 🙄 he said it pretty much since the beginning of the channel so nobody has to ask

  • @wojtekpolska1013
    @wojtekpolska1013 4 года назад +2

    About the Euro Zone (€) the case (in some not all) is that peoples there just dont want to change the currency and if EU have told them to use € they would just make a referendum in order to keep the old currency

  • @ng1n369
    @ng1n369 4 года назад +4

    imagining a country just straaight up called "Europe"

  • @Huma270490
    @Huma270490 6 лет назад +257

    I'm proud to be European as I'm proud of being Spanish. Probably my generation, including me, have the feeling of being part of our country above the feeling of being European but there is no doubt that on the future it is very possibly a future with Europe as a country, every new generation is feeling more European and letting a side where they come from, and it could be a great future to see.

    • @nikoe9933
      @nikoe9933 6 лет назад +50

      THANK YOU
      Finally someone in the comments that isn't anti EU. By now i thought i was the only one

    • @ViquelOoste
      @ViquelOoste 6 лет назад +6

      dietis13 That's the dumbest i've read overe here

    • @ViquelOoste
      @ViquelOoste 6 лет назад +5

      dietis13 don't be a foul, read 1984 and realize how Oceania is close to our modern EU, you even use the emotional argues "huhuhuhu we don't want war" like if countries today would be likely to launch a world war, it's just a common argue for flee the real questions : why should we be a part of an institution that we don't elect but wrote laws leading us into shit economy, giving power to banks, and ruining our cultures ? Haven't you seen what happen in Africa since end of colonies ? They're in civil war everywhere, because Eu country when they left them, drawned bords countries pretty badly, and mixed cultures and ethnicies, so peoples not speaking same language, not having same religion, not having same cultures, were forced to live together, and that's what will happen if EU keep try to avoid root of peoples, they'll end up having people harassed to have their cultures destroyed and left behind.
      And it even already happened in Europe with Yougoslavia shit, so don't be a foul, Eu is nothing more than a economical disaster for us, a destruction of our root, and the end of any sovereignty for let the power to very few who are friends with banks.

    • @trulyUnAssuming
      @trulyUnAssuming 5 лет назад +11

      ViquelOoste you elect the european parliament and your state government. And the EU consists of the parliament you elected and delegates from states governments, which you indirectly voted for as well when you voted for your states government. So stop spouting that lie, that the EU was not elected.

    • @Syl75
      @Syl75 5 лет назад +6

      The EU has totally perverted the original European project. It became a technocratic, antidemocratic and neoliberal structure which turns the countries into provinces. The peoples never wanted that but the EU and the national politicians don't give a damn about.
      The argument of the war is bullshit. The war will not come back if the EU fails. We are no longer in 1914 or 1939. The European peoples learnt to know each other and none will want war.
      It's actually the EU which set again the countries and peoples against each other and is likely to lead to the war.

  • @FirefoxisredExplorerisblueGoog
    @FirefoxisredExplorerisblueGoog 7 лет назад +5

    8:11 "It is not one because sovereignty is neither it's goal or desire"
    Weeeeellll..... That's up for debate.

  • @BetterThanYouAnyway
    @BetterThanYouAnyway 4 года назад

    I came here just to say what ay stupid question, but video ended and it was actually very well presented and informational. Question well handled.

  • @superHornet007
    @superHornet007 4 года назад +1

    Where is this place at 6:54 ? It's so beautiful!

  • @gabbercharles4513
    @gabbercharles4513 7 лет назад +4

    Good video as always. I was a bit surprised you did not touch on the topics of Constitution and Federal Vs. Confederate organisation,

  • @kattenelvis1778
    @kattenelvis1778 7 лет назад +34

    There was a referendum in Sweden where we voted "no" on changing to Euro, so no, we are not obliged to join the Eurozone.

    • @andreasfroby
      @andreasfroby 7 лет назад +1

      katten elvis yes we are nobody have asked to get opt-out but becasue we by purpose don't fulfilled the criteria we can't join and in pratics nobody want to force us don't if not a new referndum say yes

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 7 лет назад +2

      In the Maastricht treaty it was agreed upon that all EU countries must adopt the Europ, the question is only when. And since Swedish politicians also signed Sweden up for the banking union without asking the people if they are willing to bailout the Euro when it fails, you can say that Sweden is a Euro member that only doesn't have switched over to the Euro yet.

    • @andreasfroby
      @andreasfroby 7 лет назад +5

      nattygsbord and we actually member of EMU, we have applied all two first steps but havn't begin with third where adopt the currency is the final one cause of the referndum result

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 7 лет назад +4

      Yes but our whore politicians will just commit another act of high treason like the have done in the past.

    • @carlhansen6802
      @carlhansen6802 7 лет назад

      In Denmark we have the opt out, so quit whining and change the government. I love all of Scandinavia, but you Swedes are just so damn annoying. And so is your country, which isn't a country, but a social experiment. Like the fact that you officially don't have ethnicities. Not even a Swedish ethnicity, lol! Or like your suicidal immigrant policy. I still remember that big tv discussions during the refugee crises of 2015. between our representatives and yours, where yours basically had no arguments, and just kept calling us Danes racists. Why? Because we decided to admit "only" 20,000 and not 200,000 like you morons. Oh and btw...you're welcome, since we've been protecting YOUR borders ever since. :))

  • @stadom9553
    @stadom9553 4 года назад +3

    Not every EU country uses the Euro! Poland, Croatia, Czech Rep., Sweden, Denmark, UK, Bulgaria, Romania

    • @petrmiros9908
      @petrmiros9908 4 года назад +1

      He said exactly that in 1:09 and even explained the convergent criteria. Use your eyes to watch the videos, not your ass.

  • @noctarin1516
    @noctarin1516 3 года назад +5

    As a kid, i thought borders never existed, because since we were in the European Union my family never had to go through a border control in our lives. I thought it was only for countries which are really down bad

  • @Miquelalalaa
    @Miquelalalaa 7 лет назад +11

    Not all the EU uses the same currency

    • @hivaladeen4892
      @hivaladeen4892 7 лет назад +22

      Jonathan Bloomfield he clearly said that at the start

    • @84Supervisor
      @84Supervisor 7 лет назад

      HIV Aladeen He made it sound like that at the start, but later after explaining Schengen he said who's in the currency union and not. And uh, Sweden is not in the Eurozone *because we voted no to it* (Thank God)! Despite the fact that our own effing government spent tax payer money campaigning to convince us that it's a good idea.

  • @luisraulraudales2468
    @luisraulraudales2468 7 лет назад +78

    What would happen if Switzerland joined the EU and began using the euro

    • @reargiro5102
      @reargiro5102 7 лет назад +46

      luis Rodriguez we will start a civil war. We will never be part of a tyranny over the people. Simple as that, because we are Swiss and simply not EU citizens. O government can decide for the people of switzerland. We the people are the highest part of our government.

    • @luisraulraudales2468
      @luisraulraudales2468 7 лет назад +25

      BOB Brown I see, but, (I'm guessing you're Swiss), I've always wanted to know, why are you so scared of joining the eu

    • @Blaze6108
      @Blaze6108 7 лет назад +99

      They need to remain independent from any regulation to continue being a tax heaven and a no-questions-asked banking country. If they had to play by everyone else's rule they would lose that status and get a bit less rich.

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 7 лет назад +27

      Switzerland will have their laws written by Brussels. And you will be forced to follow the Maastrich treaty - so no more leftwing economic policies like stimulating your economy in bad times and you cannot nationalize certain industries if you wanted that.
      And the Euro isn't set for Swiss needs. Sometimes interest rates is too low and inflation too high... which can cause a bubble economy, and when a stock bubble or a housing bubble bursts, its gonna get very painful. Ask Ireland or Spain how a housing bubble feels like. It doesn't feel nice.
      And sometimes the problem is the opposite, the Euro got too high interest rates and inflation is too low. So if Switzerland economy a little sad and got high unemployment and needs a boost forward, then you want low interest rates and high inflation. But in this example you got the opposite. Which means Switzerland has to wait some extra years before the economy can get strong again.
      EU have also for a long time been interested in creating an own army, which is intentent as a force that rapidly could be send to a place anyware. And many EU critics mean that this force isn't intended for defensive purposes only like the old cold war conscription armies of Europe, but its rather a force for offensive operations. Like America which is involved in 7 conflicts right now.
      So for a nation with a long tradition of neutrality, the decision to join the EU might be controversial. The Lisbon treaty also demands that every country got a duty to help other EU countries if they are under attack - like France was by ISIS in the terrorist attack in Paris.
      I don't know about Swiss copyright laws, but Sweden had pretty liberal copyright laws before we joined the EU and we could download music and games and everything as long as we only did it for our own personal use. Well, the EU prohibited that for us in 2006.

    • @nattygsbord
      @nattygsbord 7 лет назад +14

      So I say the Swiss should stay out. You have your neutrality. And you got the most industrialized country on earth. And your currency is hard and very sought after - and most importantly of all, its under your control and serves the best interests of your country.

  • @The-pf4zy
    @The-pf4zy 4 года назад +3

    3:42
    Roses are red,
    I own a scarf
    This map right here,
    just makes me wanna barf.

  • @airmarshal4049
    @airmarshal4049 4 года назад +1

    The abbreviation of Council of the European Union to Council of Europe is erroneous: the Council of Europe is a completely different institution with different member states and a different purpose.

  • @bemusedalligator
    @bemusedalligator 6 лет назад +4

    that thing about subservient states made me think about how the HRE post golden-bull kind of fits the same criteria as the EU.

  • @jdrummer29
    @jdrummer29 7 лет назад +22

    You may have answered this already, but are you originally from the US? I know you live in the UK now, but you definitely sound American.

    • @Wendoverproductions
      @Wendoverproductions  7 лет назад +40

      Yep. Originally from the US but live in the UK.
      That's kinda the reason that we decided Real Life Lore would do "Is the US a Country?" and I'd do "Is the European Union a Country?"

    • @jdrummer29
      @jdrummer29 7 лет назад +2

      Oh, awesome! Love your content.

    • @glebsokolov8016
      @glebsokolov8016 7 лет назад +1

      Wendover Productions Why didn't you add Russia to European continent? :/

    • @aleksandrnestrato
      @aleksandrnestrato 7 лет назад

      Gleb Sokolov
      Geographic discrimination of the channel :)

    • @glebsokolov8016
      @glebsokolov8016 7 лет назад

      ***** Exactly! Knowing that even in Asian part of Russia 99 percent of population is European.

  • @novabloom9476
    @novabloom9476 4 года назад

    There is a fifth criteria for the declaration theory being that a state is recognized by other states which is why many countries don't view places like Vietnam a country because according to the criteria they're a territory

  • @FerdinandCesarano
    @FerdinandCesarano 3 года назад

    Please note that the word "criteria" is plural, the singular of which is "criterion". So the chart should say "Criterion 1", "Criterion 2", etc.

  • @alwinpriven2400
    @alwinpriven2400 7 лет назад +17

    No one recognizes it? well add a 1 to that nobody, 'cause now I'm recognizing it!

    • @bvlampe6801
      @bvlampe6801 7 лет назад +3

      no UN state recognizes it as a country. And that is fine, I wouldn't want the EU to become one big country. I like it as it is.

    • @alwinpriven2400
      @alwinpriven2400 7 лет назад +1

      Well if we pay a bit maybe one will recognize it.

    • @MrLukasboys
      @MrLukasboys 7 лет назад

      No one recognises it, because it does not want to be recognised. You bet the moment it federalises it will get soaring approval, because you ain´t denying the 3rd biggest country in the world and one of the biggest economies.

    • @MrLukasboys
      @MrLukasboys 7 лет назад

      INTJ-Skorpyo7 What do you expect, the Euro is expected to take over the Dollar as the world standard currency and that ain´t happening with the current state of the Romanian economy.

    • @thetom12395
      @thetom12395 7 лет назад +1

      The eu has fucked us all we would be better off independent again all of the countrys

  • @naruciakk
    @naruciakk 7 лет назад +3

    You use the best font ever on this video

  • @thisguysgaming7246
    @thisguysgaming7246 4 года назад

    It’s kinda like a agreement to say hey let’s be friends

  • @TheRtHonPMSirLDOBSON
    @TheRtHonPMSirLDOBSON 5 лет назад +9

    2:57 just showing a video of Pyongyang, North Korea as you do.

    • @Linnnaeus
      @Linnnaeus 3 года назад

      I thought your pfp was the head of a bird

  • @danielburkeodonoghue7478
    @danielburkeodonoghue7478 7 лет назад +64

    countries may be a social construct but gender isn't

    • @baryonyx31
      @baryonyx31 7 лет назад +7

      Language is a social construct :O

    • @augustusray3280
      @augustusray3280 7 лет назад +6

      Everything is a social construct.
      But no, countries are not a social construct. Countries are nations, which is another word for people of the same race, culture, tradition and background. Nations don't define people, people define nations.

    • @danielburkeodonoghue7478
      @danielburkeodonoghue7478 7 лет назад +1

      Augustus Ray not everything is a social construct

    • @0xBE7A
      @0xBE7A 7 лет назад +6

      You successfully proved yourself wrong in one comment. good job

    • @augustusray3280
      @augustusray3280 7 лет назад +1

      Daniel Burke O Donoghue I know, was meant to be sarcastic. most of the stuff is not social constructs, gender isn't. Borders aren't, races aren't, IQ isn't, only a very few things are social constructs.

  • @papafrancesco2937
    @papafrancesco2937 7 лет назад +277

    O Boy this is gonna get some Southern - European hate.

  • @SacsachCCABP
    @SacsachCCABP 3 года назад +3

    “There is no territory in the US that isn’t apart of a state”
    D.C and Federal Land: Hold my land

  • @Flat_top_king12
    @Flat_top_king12 3 года назад

    Whats the music in the background, i hear it on every channel but no one puts it in the description