Why Europe, why?

**a completely inoffensive name** · 10-11-2012, 20:33

I try to understand more about you in what little free time I have, and I get this graph thrown in my face.

Why don't you just admit that you make it difficult on purpose.

**Vladimir** · 10-11-2012, 20:58

Originally Posted by Gelatinous Cube

What the... Explain yourself and your mad graph!

It's French abstract art depicting all the nations of Europe giving each other a hug.

**drone** · 10-11-2012, 21:11

This was the first thing the graph reminded me of:

It's apparent that European leadership is on the nyborg.

**Beskar** · 10-11-2012, 21:22

Originally Posted by Gelatinous Cube

What the... Explain yourself and your mad graph!

They are all the different treaties between the European nations.

Eurozone - The Euro single-currency countries.
European Union - Members of the European Union
Schengen Area - The area of free travel between nations that border eachother with lots of border crossing and check point stops.
European Economic Area - Countries who subscribe to being members of Europe economically.
European Free Trade - Free trade agreements of outside EU membership.
Customs Union - Common External Tariff.
Council of Europe - European Meet and Greet of 47 countries.

**Tellos Athenaios** · 10-11-2012, 21:27

Originally Posted by a completely inoffensive name

I try to understand more about you in what little free time I have, and I get this graph thrown in my face.

Why don't you just admit that you make it difficult on purpose.

At a guess:

The European Council is just a miniature UN. Pretty much any country with territory on the European "continent" is invited.
The European Economic Area is a framework for common regulation and trade agreements.
The Schengen Area is the same but for travelers as opposed to goods/services.
The EU Customs Union is just that: to do with tariffs.
The European Union is what you evolve to as European Economic Area member.
The Eurozone is the countries which have adopted the Euro as the national currency and the monetary union.
Agreement with EU to mint Euro's are the city states of San Marino, the Vatican and Monaco which do not have a national currency of their own and use the Euro, but are not Eurozone members.

**Kralizec** · 10-11-2012, 21:34

TA's correct as far as I know.
The Council of Europe is not actually Union related. It's the organisation behind the ECHR.

Other than that, you have the Council of the European Union - the EU government leaders + EU president Von Rompuy.

And there's the European Council, which is somewhat different from the former (since the Lisbon treaty, it was the same institution before that) as it's the ministers of health/finance/justice/whatever of the different member states, depending on the issue being discussed.

**Tellos Athenaios** · 10-11-2012, 23:07

And there's the EP, a few EU depts, and then you have various smaller agreements and frameworks like the Benelux...

**Kadagar_AV** · 10-11-2012, 23:48

Graphs like that kinda makes you wish WW2 would have ended differently. Europe would be a lot easier to understand then, wouldn't it..

**a completely inoffensive name** · 10-12-2012, 00:04

Originally Posted by Kadagar_AV

Graphs like that kinda makes you wish WW2 would have ended differently. Europe would be a lot easier to understand then, wouldn't it..

Ehh, kind of tasteless joke imo.

**Kadagar_AV** · 10-12-2012, 00:14

Originally Posted by a completely inoffensive name

Ehh, kind of tasteless joke imo.

No, not in the world of today.

I prefer a multitude of individual nations loosely attached with very different monetary ideas, than the super power world with a world bank we are building as we speak.

I was being sarcastic with my comment, sure. But that is because I wanted to highlight the reasoning behind the European power map looking the way it does. It might, just MIGHT, be better that way.