Web of European Institutions

The first time most of us realize that there is difference among EU nations is when one comes to learn that the Schengen Visa isn’t valid across all those nations. Until I saw the pic below, I didn’t realize that the continent which claims European integration is its ultimate aim had so many different institutions related to that goal!


Notice how many of them there are. And worse, how they overlap. Must be a bureaucrat’s dream come true! (On the bright side, here’s a very nice application of Venn diagrams).

So what are all these groups?

Eurozone: 17 countries that use the Euro as their currency.

EU-but-not-Eurozone: Members of EU but don’t use Euro as the currency. Among these, only UK, Denmark and Sweden opted out of the Euro. The rest in that group (later day Eastern European additions) are obligated to eventually transition to the Euro currency.

European Union Customs Union (EUCU): No customs levied on goods moving within this group. Customs are only levied on goods entering the group.

European Economic Area (EEA): Includes 3 non-EU members who get to benefit from the single market, but those don’t get representation in any of the EU institutions. Plus, they can opt out of agricultural and fisheries matters.

European Free Trade Association (EFTA): Vestigial twin of the EU. Dieing out as pretty much all of them are poised to join the EU.

Schengen Area: Cuts across all the previously named groups. No border controls within this group but has strict outer border controls.

Council of Europe: Encompasses almost all the other groups. Maybe they should this group the EU instead?

The one outlier to all these groups? The Vatican, whose only link to the EU is that it is allowed to mint Euros. With the Pope imprinted. Which makes it a collector’s item.

I have never understood the difference between United Kingdom and Britain either. Both seem to be made of independent countries, but the countries forming each group differs. But now that I’ve seen the different institutions of Europe, I am sure understanding the difference between UK and Britain must be a piece of cake…if and when somebody explains it!

Comments

  1. KumarMarch 18, 2011 at 6:48 PM

    Interesting detail and presentation indeed!

    Regarding UK and Britain, like you, many also think that United Kingdom and Britain are the same. The point is: UK is the official and formal name for the national entity comprising of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Whales. I am sure the far away places like Falklands and the like would also qualify as being part of the UK domain.

    The name Britain emerges from history and its connotation actually appears historical. When they said "Britania rules the waves" they referred to the colonial power headed by England, though it did imply the UK to an extent even then. That is why the word 'Great Britain' was specifically used. With the colonial might gone, I suppose Britain could be the commoner's word for the formal word United Kingdom.

    I can't be sure about this anyway!

    ReplyDelete

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