The European Union Explained*

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  • čas přidán 1. 07. 2013
  • The European Union with a lot of asterisks.
    Support these videos: / cgpgrey

Komentáře • 19K

  • @WoolyMelon
    @WoolyMelon Před 4 lety +15410

    CZcams: let’s recommend this the day after brexit

    • @cesilius9259
      @cesilius9259 Před 4 lety +113

      Right?! Let them know they made the right choice.

    • @kjartannn
      @kjartannn Před 4 lety +258

      @@cesilius9259 i mean they now have to get visas and go through immigration and importing & exporting is now more expensive for them

    • @blightsteel101
      @blightsteel101 Před 4 lety +65

      I'm guessing a lot of people have been looking for information on how the EU actually works.

    • @SacsachCCABP
      @SacsachCCABP Před 4 lety +22

      Wait UK brexit already??

    • @kjartannn
      @kjartannn Před 4 lety +11

      @@SacsachCCABP yes

  • @albinjohnsson2511
    @albinjohnsson2511 Před 3 lety +5834

    This video is 7 years old. Here's some clarifications/changes for new viewers:
    1. The UK has officially left the EU
    2. Iceland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Kosovo are currently not official candidates to join the EU
    3. Turkey is a candidate country on paper, but there is no way in hell that’s happening anytime soon
    4. Latvia and Lithuania have entered the Eurozone
    5. Montenegro and Kosovo have chosen to adopt the Euro unilaterally

    • @danvier6777
      @danvier6777 Před rokem +309

      yeah and even this is changed

    • @DacLMK
      @DacLMK Před rokem +137

      And soon Macedonia may lose its candidacy status too due to Bulgaria's ridiculous demands

    • @alfredyt
      @alfredyt Před rokem +175

      Croatia is adopting Euro next year

    • @zlatko8051
      @zlatko8051 Před rokem +186

      6. Ukraine and Moldova has EU candidate status now

    • @postblitz
      @postblitz Před rokem +203

      Turkey is under "eagerly awaiting Edrogan to croak" status.

  • @jcp3049
    @jcp3049 Před 2 lety +953

    I live in Spain and it’s totally normal to go to Portugal on a Saturday afternoon and come back at night. Sometimes you don’t even notice you’re in a totally different country until you sit down at a restaurant and the waiter speaks portugués

    • @TheGriever255
      @TheGriever255 Před 2 lety +1

      Almost like borders are largely drawn by humans on maps and don't really matter for 99% of people

    • @jcp3049
      @jcp3049 Před 2 lety +12

      @@TheGriever255 There are many borders that do matter.

    • @Feanor1169
      @Feanor1169 Před 2 lety +2

      @@jcp3049 Enjoy the erasure of both Spain and Portugal as nations and separate cultures. The goal of the EU is complete destruction of your culture and people.

    • @wylew1331
      @wylew1331 Před rokem +56

      @@Feanor1169lmao, you must be an USian

    • @bolamelancia54
      @bolamelancia54 Před rokem +4

      I live in by the Atlantic Ocean so i dont do that but when I got o Algarve (south) I already did that, it's really cool but o wich i went further deep.

  • @Skunkiboi
    @Skunkiboi Před 3 lety +4877

    "The Europe Union is like a big Family. You talk about everything and in the end you do what mother wants".

    • @Dave_Sisson
      @Dave_Sisson Před 3 lety +326

      @@samrevlej9331 Angela Merkel of course.

    • @rjfaber1991
      @rjfaber1991 Před 3 lety +132

      @@whannabi I would question why anybody would want to leave in the first place, but it is worth noting that Britain's difficulty in leaving the EU was almost entirely self-inflicted. Yes, it takes time to replace thousands of pieces of legislation and regulation that come with EU membership, but that could all have been sorted out quite quickly. What really held back Brexit was Britain's constant "have our cake and eat it" attitude, and making demands that were physically impossible.

    • @dageogaming4478
      @dageogaming4478 Před 3 lety +14

      @Tee Pi europe really isnt a country

    • @averagejoe6031
      @averagejoe6031 Před 3 lety +5

      @@whannabi yeah but I’d imagine Belgium would be smart enough to compromise on some things and not be so stubborn like the UK.

    • @ericc1336
      @ericc1336 Před 3 lety +2

      Mother is fanatical deluded and dangerous

  • @rowdywoman7746
    @rowdywoman7746 Před 5 lety +10434

    “The borders of the EU will probably continue to expand”
    UK: I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see that

    • @supermankelly
      @supermankelly Před 5 lety +188

      Once the UK leaves and is doing better more countries will leave the EU.

    • @elliotbriffa4944
      @elliotbriffa4944 Před 5 lety +307

      SupermanKelly™ but it won’t do better even people like ReesMogg said we’re not going to feel the benefits for atleast 50 years

    • @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527
      @bca-biciclindcuaxel7527 Před 5 lety +22

      @@supermankelly English are not cretins, they will never leave United States of Europe.

    • @elliotbriffa4944
      @elliotbriffa4944 Před 5 lety +140

      Apathetic Apparition what? Yeah let’s double down on something that we’re not sure is going to benefit us and will only reap the rewards half a century later? No let’s work to better the EU from the inside

    • @elliotbriffa4944
      @elliotbriffa4944 Před 5 lety +56

      Apathetic Apparition absolutely. England is apart of the United Kingdom and as the UK is apart of the European Union, when we better the EU we would by extension be bettering England.

  • @yeezyb7367
    @yeezyb7367 Před 7 lety +10390

    The EU has got some more space now... They now have 1'GB' free *sigh*

    • @monarchist1838
      @monarchist1838 Před 7 lety +257

      For the best. We have paid too much money in and lost too much sovereignty.

    • @JK_2998
      @JK_2998 Před 7 lety +384

      +Matt 18 Not sure about that, we essentially just gave our top job to Boris Johnson, even if we get more money from this, it wont be going to any of us.

    • @angryman3646
      @angryman3646 Před 7 lety +274

      Really Dr Matt and what made you such a great judge of exactly what sovereignty is (which is an impossible thing to answer), how much we have actually lost and how much value the UK actually gets from the EU (bearing in mind £120 billion was knocked of British companies today). You'd need a PhD on each of these to answer it properly. If you based your comment on anything in the papers you should be very angry as you have been lied to.

    • @Studio2770
      @Studio2770 Před 7 lety +54

      I see what you did there.

    • @violinistajay
      @violinistajay Před 7 lety +20

      Nice comment XD

  • @santosgt8938
    @santosgt8938 Před 3 lety +2932

    "Lying about your financial situation is something no country would EVER do..." *Heavily glances at Greece*

    • @JarmamStuff
      @JarmamStuff Před 3 lety +138

      *France, Spain, Italy and pretty much most if not all eurozone countries have entered the chat*

    • @pureaidswithmemes8053
      @pureaidswithmemes8053 Před 2 lety +99

      Yes, I too, watched the video

    • @mariostanic7485
      @mariostanic7485 Před 2 lety +13

      After resistance Socialists across Europe to set up crosses on the flag, one man Paul Levi, a Jew who converted to Catholicism and became president of journalistic office in the Council of Europe (founded in 1949) visiting the old continent. He realizes that in every major city there is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, over whose head is 12 stars. Among the several hundred proposals remained just this, which was adopted at the end.

    • @marcusturner27
      @marcusturner27 Před 2 lety +8

      @@mariostanic7485 Thanks for sharing

    • @raxi9619
      @raxi9619 Před 2 lety +12

      We're sorry? 😅

  • @ggwp638BC
    @ggwp638BC Před 5 měsíci +106

    Fun fact: thanks to French Guiana, France's largest continuous land border is actually with... Brazil.

  • @floppyfish2814
    @floppyfish2814 Před 4 lety +11049

    For anyone wondering what he means at 5:22 by "That region in Greece where it's totally legal to ban women" He's referring to an area called "Mount Athos" it's a peninsula on the coast of Greece that is entirely enhabited by Christian Orthodox Monks who live in their monasteries. Since they are all men, they ask that women not visit the island as they say that they see it as a "distraction from their prayers." While technically part of Greece, Mount Athos maintains their autonomy by not voting in Greek elections, and not paying taxes to the Greek government. They also do not fly the flag of Greece, but instead, the flag of the Byzantine Empire, as that was the empire that they were living under when Mount Athos was formed. It's a long and complicated history spanning all the way back to when Jesus Christ was alive, but I just wanted to make it clear that it's a bit more than just "Totally legal to ban women."

  • @hydro0759
    @hydro0759 Před 3 lety +2336

    The members of the EU are:
    Germany
    France
    United King-
    UK: *I’m gonna stop you right there*

    • @jamesfinch9987
      @jamesfinch9987 Před 3 lety +37

      @Soller the Vault-Tec Salesman

    • @KnightoftheSorryFace
      @KnightoftheSorryFace Před 3 lety +16

      @@jamesfinch9987 ah, I see you are a man of culture

    • @tarmantgeorgio
      @tarmantgeorgio Před 3 lety +3

      tpi eu.

    • @rockb.g
      @rockb.g Před 3 lety +23

      Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
      Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.
      I'm not European I am British
      this way we voted to leave the European Union 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

    • @tarmantgeorgio
      @tarmantgeorgio Před 3 lety +2

      rULE IN TOULOUSE PREFECTURE 3LORS DELIGOT23 GRAMATICALLY 3 PARA 6LEGAL 3

  • @NFSHeld
    @NFSHeld Před rokem +412

    By the way, French Guiana at the northern coast of South America being "technically France" means that a flight from France to French Guiana is also "technically a domestic flight" and therefore very cheap, which is nice if you want to spend your winter holidays in Caribbean climate.

  • @SacsachCCABP
    @SacsachCCABP Před 3 lety +752

    “France, the queen of not letting go”
    Hmmm now where have I heard the reverse of that phrase before

  • @SwissTHX11384EB
    @SwissTHX11384EB Před 4 lety +3510

    “The borders of the EU will probably continue to expand”
    Turkey lights up in green
    That didn't age well...

    • @vulpine3431
      @vulpine3431 Před 4 lety +338

      As long as they keep insisting that northern Cyprus is a thing Greece will keep vetoing everything with them.
      Also throwing refugees and migrants into the borders isn't nice.

    • @EndietheEnderman
      @EndietheEnderman Před 4 lety +253

      @@vulpine3431 Greece doesn't even need to veto them. Cyprus can itself lol.
      I don't think Greece even cares what happens in Cyprus anymore really. They're mostly done with the island since now most of the population doesnt want to be part of Greece.
      And Greece still has lots of issues with Turkey like Imia / Kardak and their border.
      Most likely France and other countries would also veto them too, since they're not too happy on the migrants thing.

    • @maximwannabepro3021
      @maximwannabepro3021 Před 3 lety +112

      @@EndietheEnderman and that's a good thing, since they aren't a democracy anymore

    • @Zappuify
      @Zappuify Před 3 lety +99

      VulpineKitsune Dude, Even if there was no issue called Cyprus, Turkey wouldn’t have been accepted. Because Turkey is not a European country, the population of which can change the power balance in EU. The another reason is the lack of interest by Turkish people towards EU. Turks have alienated themselves from Europe.
      Have a good day, from Turkey.

    • @edyslavico3761
      @edyslavico3761 Před 3 lety +34

      @@maximwannabepro3021 true.
      Even if recently Hungary has stopped being a democracy more or less if I am not mistaken.

  • @patrickmeny1298
    @patrickmeny1298 Před 4 lety +1096

    “Check in any time they like but they can never stay”
    So reverse Hotel California.

  • @JackRussel1997
    @JackRussel1997 Před 3 lety +401

    3:02 Actually, Sweden doesn't have a permanent opt-out in our contract like Denmark and the UK. We just choose to fail one of the economic requirements on purpose every year so that we aren't allowed to (read: don't have to) use the Euro

    • @janickpauwels3792
      @janickpauwels3792 Před 2 lety +15

      I don't see the point why you desperately want to avoid joining the Euro. As with many other memberships in the EU, you basically are following common rules anyway, without having a say. The SEK EUR exchange rate is basically static, so the only change you would see, is a different colour in bank notes and another number on it. Your companies already are doing virtually everything in EUR anyway, or at least those who trade with businesses in other countries. With the transition to electronic money going on (I very rarely use cash anymore), there's even less reason to stick to your own paper notes. I can understand when you want to keep your own money so that you can have your own monetary policy, but as Swedish and Danish money is basically linked with the EUR anyway, what's the point? It's not because we have given up on Belgian franks, that we have lost our soul/identity/whatever. We are still Belgians. We just use some other paper to pay our groceries with. It's not a big deal. It feels like people in Sweden and Denmark feel insecure about themselves. Somehow you need your "own" money, just so that you can say "hey, I'm Swedish/Danish". Weird...

    • @XXXTENTAClON227
      @XXXTENTAClON227 Před 2 lety +91

      @@janickpauwels3792 no, they’re simply just keeping themselves safe from the error of other countries. That’s why the UK never joined; the £ was extremely safe and most importantly was the oldest currency in the world. 2008 completely shattered Swedens confidence of changing currency, hence why it’s still so skeptical.
      Basically, Scandinavia is wealthy enough to not feel pressured into change, so unless it can guarantee stability (which it can’t) they will not switch.

    • @vulpes7079
      @vulpes7079 Před 2 lety +6

      Outstanding move

    • @adventure_F0x
      @adventure_F0x Před rokem +2

      @@XXXTENTAClON227 what do you mean 'was the oldest currency'

    • @XXXTENTAClON227
      @XXXTENTAClON227 Před rokem +11

      @@adventure_F0x the £ is the oldest currency that still exists

  • @haraffael7821
    @haraffael7821 Před 2 lety +167

    The Schengen agreement is the best. A friend of mine crossed the border by accident, while on Border Duty (looking for illegal migration) with the military (fully armed) and the local police there said "Dude, wrong side of the border, you should have turned left, not right." And laughing their asses off.

  • @vhsjpdfg
    @vhsjpdfg Před 8 lety +346

    "A bottomless well of asterisks."

    • @Pieh0
      @Pieh0 Před 8 lety +6

      Otherwise known as a bottomless well of shit

    • @Feuermagier1337
      @Feuermagier1337 Před 8 lety +12

      Better than War.

    • @Pieh0
      @Pieh0 Před 8 lety +4

      Valentin Metz Yes, and we must thank NATO for that.

    • @ltpierce1
      @ltpierce1 Před 7 lety

      the eu is more of an extension of the alliance between countries really

    • @Elektrochemistry
      @Elektrochemistry Před 7 lety

      +Weegee Productions Indeed, even more restrictions (like the 'anti-terror chemicals', e.a. hydrogen peroxide is banned, nitrate fertilizers are banned,..), the retail had less income because of that and the result of those restrictions where mass bombing, like in Paris and Brussels and a huge black market. In contrast with the USD the euro have a fixed value, which is stupid and the reason why the economy in the eurozone dropped, maintaining these imperial European buildings (lobbying is impossible with the EU) is very expensive, in contrast to the US there are simply too many languages to learn to make it possible to work in say Denmark if Belgium is too small. Finally, the results of the lack of Border control are huge amounts of refugees that leave their country because Europe and the US will raid them for oil. Politicians are 'FOR' their own seat.

  • @clarknebres7913
    @clarknebres7913 Před 8 lety +1759

    That closeup of Greece at 2:53 killed me pmsl

    • @chelseaonlyfansinstagram9961
      @chelseaonlyfansinstagram9961 Před 8 lety +75

      Cheers mate

    • @AgentIHD
      @AgentIHD Před 8 lety +8

      +Iron Giant lol, ikr XD

    • @dikaiapanoglou1924
      @dikaiapanoglou1924 Před 8 lety +56

      +bernardobiritiki In Greece the situation is complicated. I want to explain but is too complicated xD
      Yes im Greek...
      Btw there is no country in the world without a debt. The problem in Greece is that the debt is huge and it's hard to take more loans, so no loans = risk for bankruptcy = The plp who gave loans will lose their money. So why cant Greece live without loans? Because the politicians cant handle money even though they teach to famous univericities ^^

    • @bernardobiritiki
      @bernardobiritiki Před 8 lety +1

      +T Panos so is syrisa working out or no? i really really really hope it is

    • @dikaiapanoglou1924
      @dikaiapanoglou1924 Před 8 lety +26

      They are in power less than a year so is too early to judge. But my personal opinion is no, simple because their rivals agree with their dicision so something is wrong here ^^ just kidding. They did too many mistakes for example the hired again 400+ cleaners for the Ministry of Finance (btw the previous goverment fired them) and the parlament is the most expencive building (i talking about the staff who is working in there) in Greece (if not in Europe) but their paychecks is steady. If you count the politician wages (3500-5000 euros) is about 1.200.000 euros per month, and the guys who filing up water on the stand earn 1500 euro (when there is families who "living" with 600 euros) but of course the politicans reject these number and claim they are hungry too... Even their lies is bad! The parlament is working like for decades so that isnt syriza's fault but they can fix that if they wanted...
      And about that Grey said "that we lied about our economy to join the euro" isnt wrong, our pressident "cooked" our numbers but he never faced any charges ^^ Cool eh?

  • @r.k.7663
    @r.k.7663 Před 3 lety +213

    "Europe loves asterisks"
    Says the American*

    • @r.k.7663
      @r.k.7663 Před 3 lety +13

      @@WhereTheCat No, he's Irish*

    • @averagejoe6031
      @averagejoe6031 Před 3 lety +18

      @@r.k.7663 he’s Irish American born in America and grew up in America. He was simply had Irish citizenship via family (I think) and was able to live in London because of that. Long story short he’s and Irish American who lives in England.

    • @r.k.7663
      @r.k.7663 Před 3 lety +8

      @@averagejoe6031 yeah, what I'm saying, american*(《there's an asterisk right there at the end, aymbolizing he's not really american, but, since he only has irish citizenship and does not really relate to ireland except that his dad's irish, we can call him american).

    • @STB4G
      @STB4G Před 3 lety +4

      Is it weird that these three symbols are in a triangle shape on the keyboard
      €£*

    • @cakeisyummy5755
      @cakeisyummy5755 Před 2 lety

      @@STB4G It's a Brexit joke.

  • @mikikaboom9084
    @mikikaboom9084 Před 3 lety +73

    0:26 "The edges of the EU will probably continue to expand further out"
    Britain: Uno reverse card

    • @Eliktro
      @Eliktro Před 2 lety +2

      nazwa prawdziwego polaka xd

  • @ClemensKatzer
    @ClemensKatzer Před 5 lety +238

    The EU flag with asterisks instead of stars should have been the thumbnail of the video.

  • @Thermonuclear_Waifuisation
    @Thermonuclear_Waifuisation Před 4 lety +402

    Grey “The QUEEN of not letting go”
    France: bad choice of words

  • @mendesjosr4438
    @mendesjosr4438 Před 2 lety +48

    Azores and Madeira haven't been considered colonies since the XVI century. They were populated by continental portuguese (and some flemish in the azores) with the full rights of any portuguese subject, they were organised into Municipios, with the rights and freedoms these traditionally had, same laws, same everything as the mainland. Before they were autonomous regions they were generally called "the adjacent islands" and seen as part of metropolitan Portugal as opposed to ultramarine Portugal

  • @turnoffautoplay
    @turnoffautoplay Před 3 lety +43

    For those of you who need it here's a list of all the countries he says: Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Kingdom of Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, Sweden, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Slovakia, Finland, Ireland, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta

  • @GoneZombie
    @GoneZombie Před 4 lety +439

    Grey: Asterix
    Me, an intellectual: Obelix

    • @jaojao1768
      @jaojao1768 Před 4 lety +4

      Made me chuckle

    • @appleslover
      @appleslover Před 4 lety

      ?

    • @maximwannabepro3021
      @maximwannabepro3021 Před 3 lety +31

      @@appleslover how dark u world must be if u don't no Asterix, Obelix and Idefix

    • @appleslover
      @appleslover Před 3 lety +2

      @@maximwannabepro3021 not that dark due to the fact that English isn't my first language

    • @Piat47
      @Piat47 Před 3 lety +21

      apple's lover lol its actually french

  • @anonymoususer6237
    @anonymoususer6237 Před 5 lety +3879

    Britain left the chat

    • @willokeefe1135
      @willokeefe1135 Před 5 lety +75

      Genius Goblin ignorance is bliss

    • @painzkiller2452
      @painzkiller2452 Před 5 lety +38

      @Genius Goblin Time will tell, and let's see who's the surprised one :D

    • @patu2175
      @patu2175 Před 5 lety

      We'll see about that

    • @paolotangini9336
      @paolotangini9336 Před 5 lety +3

      Benjamin Wickers Elena No This is a phrase that I invite you to copy and paste everywhere!
      European union (regime) is based on 3 columns:
      1) PUBLIC DEBT CREATED BY NOTHING TO TAKE UP DEMOCRACIES
      2) ARTIFICIAL IMMIGRATION TO lower workers' salaries
      3) HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT FOR THE STABILITY OF PRICES
      The ECB is PRIVATE the euro is PRIVATE
      ALL THE MONEY IN CIRCULATION = public debt
      THIS IS THE REAL REACTION OF THE MARKETS!

    • @ineedanamebutthisisntcapit4817
      @ineedanamebutthisisntcapit4817 Před 5 lety +3

      Help
      It’s
      Still
      Not
      Done
      Yet

  • @beactivebehappy9894
    @beactivebehappy9894 Před 3 lety +24

    I think you could make a 24-hour clip playlist of all the stories that you have kept for another video!

  • @123batina
    @123batina Před rokem +15

    Update to video: Croatia joined eurozone and schengen area on 01.01.2023.

  • @morezco
    @morezco Před 7 lety +757

    It's been 4 years grey WHERE'S THE STORY FOR ANOTHER TIME?

    • @Velociter
      @Velociter Před 7 lety +52

      Guilherme Moresco he just says that. He doesn't really mean he'll make a video about it later.

    • @psltmtir
      @psltmtir Před 6 lety +3

      dude its a joke

    • @nickcameron4107
      @nickcameron4107 Před 6 lety +11

      CGP Grey pretty much never uploads anything if he's not happy with it, which means his content quality is very high

    • @kevinvu5432
      @kevinvu5432 Před 6 lety +6

      This isn't how I met your mother.

    • @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760
      @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760 Před 6 lety +1

      EU, the Caliphate that ISIS dreamt of.

  • @thespianed
    @thespianed Před 4 lety +2096

    Ireland isn't in the Schengen area, not because they "believe Islands are different", but because the UK does, and so to prevent a border along Northern Ireland, we stuck with the UK. In the event of a united Ireland, I can see mass support for joining the Schengen area.

    • @viktorjoelsson6972
      @viktorjoelsson6972 Před 4 lety +130

      Honestly being able to just take your pastport and go anywhere with in the Schengen is awsome

    • @explorernate
      @explorernate Před 4 lety +231

      Viktor Joelsson the point of schengen is that you don’t even need a passport. You just travel document free.

    • @calvinware7957
      @calvinware7957 Před 4 lety +52

      Disolve the UK

    • @swunt10
      @swunt10 Před 4 lety +66

      @@explorernate I think you need a document. otherwise you couldn't prove to be a european citizen. borders still exist and you need a passport or identity card to cross them even if most of the time nobody checks if you do. I have been controlled by german police when I entered from switzerland.

    • @explorernate
      @explorernate Před 4 lety +71

      @@swunt10 Switzerland is not in the EU. That's why you were checked there. There are zero checks from Portugal to Poland, as long as you don't pass through Switzerland or the micro states between.

  • @Scorpio-mq9dk
    @Scorpio-mq9dk Před 3 lety +53

    We learn almost nothing about the EU or European history in the US, so things like this are really useful

    • @MrCamille9999
      @MrCamille9999 Před 3 lety +11

      What history do you learn about then ? Because no offense but your history is a bit short ^^

    • @agent_sus3273
      @agent_sus3273 Před 3 lety +6

      @@MrCamille9999 revolutionary war, civil war, both world wars, French Revolution, etc.

    • @MrCamille9999
      @MrCamille9999 Před 3 lety +17

      @@agent_sus3273 I mean in Europe we pretty much start from the beginning of mankind and progressively make our way to the 21st century: apparition of writing, ancient civilizations (mostly Greece and Rome), middle ages and renaissance (mostly in Europe) and from this point we include the rest of the world more and more. From what you're telling me you only study the last 3 centuries at most...

    • @carsonchiem145
      @carsonchiem145 Před 3 lety +5

      Dude we literally have a course in high school called AP European History for students to take..... I took it and idk if you'll believe me, but I learned a little about European history

    • @MrCamille9999
      @MrCamille9999 Před 3 lety +5

      @@carsonchiem145 So history is optional in highschool in the US?

  • @Intrinseque52
    @Intrinseque52 Před 2 lety +55

    3:57 those regions don't want to leave France. Ironically, you forgot the only regions where an higher degree of autonomy is debated, the French Polynesia.

  • @mollydewinter984
    @mollydewinter984 Před 5 lety +444

    When it zoomed in on Greece i died

  • @Wissenswert
    @Wissenswert Před 5 lety +373

    you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave - loved that reference.

  • @averagejoe6031
    @averagejoe6031 Před 3 lety +91

    I love how the EU’s theme is Ode To Joy.

    • @edipires15
      @edipires15 Před 3 lety +13

      Well it’s the official anthem of the EU

    • @averagejoe6031
      @averagejoe6031 Před 3 lety +7

      @@edipires15 yeah, that’s what I said. I’m saying I like that.

    • @Cybernaut551
      @Cybernaut551 Před 2 lety +2

      I like it as well.

  • @sueKay
    @sueKay Před rokem +17

    I'm here since I watched a few reaction videos to it so felt I should watch the OG. I love watching non Europeans getting so confused by this video because I studied the EU for years at uni so I had every opportunity and plenty of time to absorb all the EU's weirdness. But it's still a little mindblowing seeing it all condensed down into a video!

  • @user-hl7bw8yw7n
    @user-hl7bw8yw7n Před 4 lety +814

    Sweden doesn't actually have a permanent opt-out of the eurozone like Denmark does. Instead, it deliberately doesn't meet the criteria for joining.
    Basically, for a country to join the eurozone, its parliament should pass kind of a "Yes, we do actually want to join the eurozone" bill. The Swedish parliament just hasn't got around to doing it as of 2020, and considering the fact that most of Sweden's population are against adopting the euro, is likely not going to anytime soon.

    • @Elenrai
      @Elenrai Před 3 lety +33

      Denmarks voted down the Euro several times too, not enough bridges or royalty on the currency

    • @ericc1336
      @ericc1336 Před 3 lety +22

      The German people would have never given up the Deutschmark had they been asked.

    • @redcoat4348
      @redcoat4348 Před 3 lety +11

      @@ericc1336 Hell I'm pretty sure most Europeans don't want a federation, as much as the elite try.

    • @eamonreidy9534
      @eamonreidy9534 Před 3 lety +74

      @@ericc1336 it was given up to reunify East and west Germany which people were actually massively in favour of. Learn history and stop talking stupidity in comments sections.

    • @ericc1336
      @ericc1336 Před 3 lety +10

      @@eamonreidy9534I was in Germany when the wall fell. It only fell because we had a strong nato. And the ussr was coming apart. I know my history... I was there

  • @simonu1612
    @simonu1612 Před 5 lety +2260

    "and lying about money is certainly not something anyone would do..." *zooms in on Greece
    Greece: "uh why is the camera pointed at me" *laughs nervously*

    • @jesusisthetruth4497
      @jesusisthetruth4497 Před 4 lety +1

      S Uhl o

    • @camirivera9278
      @camirivera9278 Před 4 lety +1

      that was epic

    • @IkelosEU
      @IkelosEU Před 4 lety +1

      Yes the other countires were idiots. They didnt know the reality. Wake up

    • @IkelosEU
      @IkelosEU Před 4 lety +13

      @Master Godlike did u learn English in school?

    • @vodkaboy
      @vodkaboy Před 4 lety +1

      @Rupprecht Kurt Hasselbuttelmann-Fitzmeisterjaeger Rends l'argent*

  • @ballinbalgruuf8198
    @ballinbalgruuf8198 Před 3 lety +12

    2:23 You can check in anytime you like but you can never stay
    *Awesome guitar solo starts*

    • @ryker9522
      @ryker9522 Před 3 lety +4

      Welcome to the hotel California!

  • @Anakeish
    @Anakeish Před 2 lety +10

    I know its 8 years old but, Swiss has another * to EEA.
    The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows them to be part of the EU’s single market.
    Switzerland is not an EU or EEA member but is part of the single market. This means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.

    • @AlaiMacErc
      @AlaiMacErc Před rokem

      Switzerland has a _ton_ of *'s... but that must be about the biggest (other) one, yup.

  • @Ling74750
    @Ling74750 Před 9 lety +223

    The EU might have some economic problems today and it is far from perfect but nontheless I love the concept of the EU and I think it is a great thing. I really hope that the current anti EU movements in many countries will come to an end and the concept of a united, prosperous and open European Union remains.
    I am so proud to be German an European at the same time.

    • @PhysiOSQuantum
      @PhysiOSQuantum Před 9 lety +35

      I am pro-Euro although I believe we just miss one key thing for the union, that is fiscal union. Goodbye unbalanced spending, hello US of Europe.
      I am Portuguese and if Portugal EVER leaves the EU I will burn down the parliament with molotovs.

    • @Ling74750
      @Ling74750 Před 9 lety +10

      I see your point. That might really be much better. I would even be very sad if any country at all leaves the EU

    • @PhysiOSQuantum
      @PhysiOSQuantum Před 9 lety +7

      Serbian Mino If you ever knew what the EU was you would never say that anyhow it isn't like I could change the world of the euro-skeptics, sometimes I think they live in a different world. By the way troll much?

    • @Ling74750
      @Ling74750 Před 9 lety +37

      mrdean171 I think you just mistook us for the Americans.

    • @PhysiOSQuantum
      @PhysiOSQuantum Před 9 lety +7

      mrdean171 How can you speak of something you don't know. Also I wasn't speaking about culture I was speaking about the EU as in European Union. Better yet you must have mistaken us by the Americans, America =/= Europe this applies to it's politics, culture and people.

  • @Gabowsk
    @Gabowsk Před 3 lety +2333

    Anything political that's too complex to explain: **Exists**
    CGP: *_I T ' S A S T O R Y F O R A N O T H E R T I M E._*

    • @epamaarainenroina220
      @epamaarainenroina220 Před 3 lety +16

      Almost every popular comment already has multiple troll answers about politics. Imagine if this vid _was_ about politics! Dear lord...

    • @Gabowsk
      @Gabowsk Před 3 lety +21

      @@epamaarainenroina220 You're 101% correct. Religion, politics and your local sports championship are things you can't discuss openly.

    • @trla6505
      @trla6505 Před 3 lety +6

      CGP to himself :dont say that!

    • @neroquin
      @neroquin Před 3 lety +3

      Just like the Sprookjesboom in the Efteling.. how I miss you...

    • @anonymouscausewhynot
      @anonymouscausewhynot Před 2 lety +2

      And then he (almost) never explains it like a parent when they say “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

  • @rapterranger771
    @rapterranger771 Před 3 lety +3

    Dude, I watch this channel on my own volition and my AP Gov teacher played this video during class. I was pleasantly surprised. Usually it’s something boring and unengaging.

  • @NorroTaku
    @NorroTaku Před 3 lety +51

    teacher: where is the European union?
    student: *points at heart*

  • @Partyaap050
    @Partyaap050 Před 9 lety +202

    Pissed my pants when you zoomed in on Greece.

    • @adrianafrompiraeus8724
      @adrianafrompiraeus8724 Před 9 lety

      Unkel Dolan And i LMAO when i see your face :) ugly, uneductaed looser!

    • @VintageLJ
      @VintageLJ Před 9 lety +30

      adriana '93 So... you are Greek/Cypriot?
      He didn't lie, so there is no reason for you to be all nationalistic. Nationalism generally leads to suffering.

  • @FAYBELLEchon
    @FAYBELLEchon Před 4 lety +1189

    "these asterisks almost never end, but this video must-"

    • @Phoenix_The_HeroHater
      @Phoenix_The_HeroHater Před 4 lety +27

      *Except for the UK

    • @maximwannabepro3021
      @maximwannabepro3021 Před 3 lety +1

      @@Phoenix_The_HeroHater meh, depends on how u wanna trade in the future :)

    • @Phoenix_The_HeroHater
      @Phoenix_The_HeroHater Před 3 lety +1

      Maxim WannaBePros hopefully the UK still keeps close ties

    • @maximwannabepro3021
      @maximwannabepro3021 Před 3 lety +1

      @@Phoenix_The_HeroHater would be better for relations and people. But makes the braxit opsolet again. I can see why they are a year over shadual with the bill. (and weirdly enough I'd be proud if the Union Jack would sill be a star on the EU flag, even thought I'm german)

    • @Phoenix_The_HeroHater
      @Phoenix_The_HeroHater Před 3 lety +1

      Maxim WannaBePros I agree mostly and due to brexit and their insistence of not continuing some ties makes me a bit sad but negotiations are still yet to be discussed with the other eu states so perhaps there may be an agreement for the UK specifically but it’s just as likely for actual total 100% brexit from the eu which sucks but let’s wait and see

  • @ryanejoe
    @ryanejoe Před rokem +16

    is that a mc creeper skin in a suit at 00:43 in the EU

  • @internetperson9813
    @internetperson9813 Před 3 lety +35

    "And lying about reaching those goals totally not something anyone would do"
    **Zooms in on Greece**

  • @jeroenvanvelzen4401
    @jeroenvanvelzen4401 Před 5 lety +1470

    Germany
    France
    The UK
    Italy
    Spain
    Poland
    *The Kingdom of the Netherlands*
    Dang we extra af

    • @jakubcesarzdakos5442
      @jakubcesarzdakos5442 Před 5 lety +19

      I think you missed something...

    • @josh-gt9fm
      @josh-gt9fm Před 5 lety +141

      there’s also the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. if that isn’t extra then nothing is

    • @neine999
      @neine999 Před 5 lety +64

      Well it's because just saying the netherlands would only be referring to the european parts, while the kingdom of the netherlands includes certain territories overseas

    • @jeroenvanvelzen4401
      @jeroenvanvelzen4401 Před 5 lety

      Napoleon Bonaparte I know that.

    • @galgonso
      @galgonso Před 5 lety +15

      Spain is actually the kingdom of Spain and he didnt say anything :(

  • @MegaFeeso
    @MegaFeeso Před 7 lety +1964

    One more asterisk to add now since the uk just left...

  • @IlluminatiBG
    @IlluminatiBG Před rokem +4

    Bulgaria does not use euro (yet), but it has fixed rate currency to euro equal to 1 EUR = 1.955 BGN, specifically close enough to 2, so people can multiply and divide by 2, but far enough for any intermediate sum of money to mismatch your expectation and require a calculator and currency conversion for what essentially have absolutely the same value.

  • @santiagopf8008
    @santiagopf8008 Před 2 lety +3

    2:17
    Anyone else got the reference to the music Hotel California from Eagles?
    "You can check-out any time you like,
    But you can never leave!"

  • @GloriousMushroom
    @GloriousMushroom Před 7 lety +461

    The zooming in on Greece was marvelous!

    • @apophis8659
      @apophis8659 Před 6 lety +18

      Farion Long I live in Greece... And I can't stop laughing and crying at the same time 😂🤣😭

    • @Archeaon
      @Archeaon Před 6 lety +9

      as an italian we kind of did a similar thing, we did not lie but cheated drugging our data to be able to take the euro, meanwhile they just falsified it. Just feeling excluded for not being mentioned :(

    • @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760
      @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760 Před 6 lety

      *What is the EU Caliphate?*
      The EU Caliphate is a theocratic dictatorship much like ISIS, run by German dictator Ayathollah Merkel
      *_DENMARK OUT OF EU CALIPHATE_*

  • @peturkristinsson9463
    @peturkristinsson9463 Před 8 lety +331

    1:26 the chick on the Icelandic money has a nice hat.

  • @matthiaswelzel8447
    @matthiaswelzel8447 Před rokem +4

    2:22 reference to Hotel California from the Eagles:
    "You can check out any time you like
    but you can never leave."
    Nice.😀

  • @grzesiekbiskowski
    @grzesiekbiskowski Před 2 lety +7

    It's worth mentioning that Poland is (and was) outside of the eurozone in 3:25

  • @KishoreShenoy1994
    @KishoreShenoy1994 Před 8 lety +225

    As a British citizen, I like Europe.
    The majority of the songs are very good, including:
    "It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN"

    • @squizza28
      @squizza28 Před 8 lety +11

      The British people are sick and tired
      of being the cash cow for this corrupt organisation that has not had its
      accounts audited for 20 years. Of course, being the dictatorship it is, it
      is above the law. We don't need the contribution of £20 bn a year, the stupid
      regulations, the mass uncontrolled immigration from poor east European
      countries, and our Government not being supreme over the EU, and the ban on
      doing our own trade deals with the rest of the world. . It's not in our
      interests to be in the EU and we're getting out.

    • @Robbedem
      @Robbedem Před 8 lety +34

      +squizza28 I hope you realise that The British pay less in comparison to other wealthy EU nations already? As a non-Brit EU citizen, I hope the unjust benefits for the Brits will be removed.

    • @sednaontheedge9478
      @sednaontheedge9478 Před 8 lety +11

      +Robbedem WRONG with a bell chime. Britain is the 2nd biggest donor after Germany and we get less out than we put in unlike the French. Also we practically militarily defend the EU for free since we're NATOs 2nd largest military contributor. We could build a hospital every week for the money we put in and all we get back is benefit cheats from the east. I want my nation back because it was fraudulently stolen by stealth.

    • @Kai-tn4yx
      @Kai-tn4yx Před 8 lety +12

      +squizza28
      Cash cow? You already have the UK rebates (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_rebate), which all other members don't have. However, you are right: Most of us other Europeans see the UK mainly as the Trojan Horse of the USA (like Charles de Gaulle already warned in the 1960s), spying on your friends ("Fife Eyes" etc.) and always complaining while contributing nothing. You can try to live as an isolated island, out of the common market, with the EU taxing all your goods. :) We won't miss those of you who are anti-European.

    • @Kai-tn4yx
      @Kai-tn4yx Před 8 lety +7

      +Sedna On the Edge
      When did Britain ever "defend" an EU country? Never.

  • @deadvodka
    @deadvodka Před 4 lety +149

    If anybody is wondering about the choice of music, this part of Beethovens Symphony No. 9 (Ode to joy) was proposed in 1955 as the ECouncil anthem and accepted as such in 1972 without Schiller's German text though, and finally In 1985 as the EG/EU anthem officially acclaimed. There are versions in Latin and Esperanto, but they aren't officially accepted as the anthem.

    • @KingOfParrots
      @KingOfParrots Před 3 lety +3

      Thanks for googling that for me

    • @hellhound78
      @hellhound78 Před rokem +6

      Freude schöner Götterfunken♪

    • @eatyouroranges6902
      @eatyouroranges6902 Před rokem +2

      I knew I recognized it but I couldn’t figure out what it was!!!! Thank you :’)

    • @tyskerbarn5171
      @tyskerbarn5171 Před rokem

      poor Beethoven...he would cry today about it.

    • @deadvodka
      @deadvodka Před rokem +5

      @@tyskerbarn5171 why do you think he would?

  • @julius5632
    @julius5632 Před rokem +4

    Actually you can't just move to Liechtenstein permanently without an approval. There are 64 passes granted every year with 32 of those being given directly to important people in the companies of Liechtenstein and the other 32 are distributed randomly to the people that applied for this approval...

  • @ThePro-qn6wr
    @ThePro-qn6wr Před 3 lety +4

    We need an Update!
    Also can you fill us in what the heck is happening with EU-UK relations?

  • @jfb-
    @jfb- Před 7 lety +900

    Might need to update this video a bit...

    • @SR2XO
      @SR2XO Před 7 lety +46

      He's got two years to make a new one, thats when the U.K. leaves.

    • @eliparker7151
      @eliparker7151 Před 7 lety +10

      Was Article 50 enacted?

    • @ncc1701dfreddyvulcan
      @ncc1701dfreddyvulcan Před 7 lety +11

      Why great britain?!
      #WhatHaveWeDone

    • @dippy2k839
      @dippy2k839 Před 7 lety

      Wasn't we will when Thatcher mk2 is sitting at the front bench shouting at Corbyn

    • @jadenw8755
      @jadenw8755 Před 7 lety

      Na it's fine I don't see a problem

  • @penguincamp
    @penguincamp Před 8 lety +379

    While some borders are clean, and some are well-patrolled, mine is considering building a giant wall and making others pay for it.

    • @firasalboni3787
      @firasalboni3787 Před 8 lety +66

      Is your country Hungary or USA?

    • @edi0157
      @edi0157 Před 8 lety +4

      +firas alboni lol

    • @juttuikaverit
      @juttuikaverit Před 8 lety +51

      EU borders are far from clean, they were great before the refugee crisis, but at the moment it's ridicilous that people outside of EU can move around without a problem, I think a lot of americans really dont know what's really going on.

    • @josephfox9221
      @josephfox9221 Před 8 lety +26

      +Twat Pitt as an American I have no idea what y'all are doing. as far as I can tell Germany want the refugees but doesnt really want them in Germany. the French are complaining. no one is sure why they are complaining, the Italians are pissed off but no one cares. and the British Government says it wants them then at the last moment changes its mind

    • @moonknightish
      @moonknightish Před 8 lety +2

      I guess he is Austrian.

  • @erichvonfuchs4858
    @erichvonfuchs4858 Před 3 lety +90

    One mistake: Poland is not a part of Eurozone.

    • @kourii
      @kourii Před 3 lety +14

      He got it right on the map, but not the chart

    • @annoyance.2583
      @annoyance.2583 Před 2 lety +2

      We dont have opt-out (I think) but considering there are economic goals to meet, Poland is probably never getting in anyway, for the better or worse

    • @janickpauwels3792
      @janickpauwels3792 Před 2 lety +2

      @@annoyance.2583 Poland has bigger problems right now with the EU (which basically means: with the other countries, because it's not that this is just an EU problem and Belgium or Spain doesn't care). Adopting the Euro is not important right now. Accepting the basic principle of what the EU stands for, is. Discarding fundamental articles in the EU treaties (which Poland signed) as inferior to your constitution, means that you have two options: 1) leave the EU, as apparently your constitution is not compatible with the treaty you signed, and makes it void. 2) change your constitution. A constitution is just a law which can be changed, if it has sufficient support. This is not about the EU being the boss of Poland. This is about agreeing to do certain things in the same way and putting your signature under that commitment. You cannot just say that you don't like the text anymore, and pick the articles you like and discard those you don't like.

    • @marcinjankowski4432
      @marcinjankowski4432 Před 2 lety

      @@janickpauwels3792 have you studied EU laws or are you just talking to talk? Because I happen to live in brussels and study here, and understanding how the UE and all of it's institutions works is part of our school program. So I can assure that it's not as easy as you make it to be.

  • @bobing1752
    @bobing1752 Před 3 lety +6

    1:31 I like how there's no asterisk on "Thank you for your money" but there's one on "Now we're going to make rules you follow*"

  • @fhoertnagl2000
    @fhoertnagl2000 Před 6 lety +215

    Holy sh*t, I just randomly clicked this video, and when the picture at 2:02 appeared, I immediately recognised it. The sign is just behind my village, and I have driven by it many times. Thanks for that, Internet

    • @brett9059
      @brett9059 Před 5 lety +25

      That must be a weird feeling

    • @grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338
      @grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338 Před 5 lety +18

      please explain what a fucking mother heater is mr sebilo

    • @spectratio
      @spectratio Před 5 lety +4

      @@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338 i need an answer for this

    • @David_Box
      @David_Box Před 5 lety +1

      Where is that thing?

    • @thiccardboyle2952
      @thiccardboyle2952 Před 5 lety +1

      @@Antoine-lx3pf we nee cgp grey to make a video on this heater thing

  • @jubbusbubbus
    @jubbusbubbus Před 6 lety +610

    ...EU's flag should actually be asterisks instead of stars. Literally

    • @diablo.the.cheater
      @diablo.the.cheater Před 6 lety +42

      those are not stars, just fat asterisks

    •  Před 5 lety +7

      Did you know that the yellow stars were inspired on the Virgin Mary's crown with the blue heavens as a background? Therefore I don't see the fckin link between Islam and the EU

    • @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760
      @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760 Před 5 lety +14

      *FUN FACTS*
      0 out of 100 leftists have any understanding of islam in any form
      100% of leftists want islamic law to replace Democracy

    • @isaks7042
      @isaks7042 Před 5 lety +21

      FUN FACT
      You are wrong

    • @Nihil0s
      @Nihil0s Před 5 lety

      LITERALLY OH YOU SO FUNNY LITERAL

  • @AvroBellow
    @AvroBellow Před rokem +23

    Here's an interesting way to be an EU citizen despite NEVER having lived in ANY of the EU countries or overseas territories:
    1) I'm Canadian, born and raised.
    2) My mother is from Northern Ireland so I am automatically a UK citizen.
    3) My maternal grandparents were also born in Northern Ireland (yeah, so?)
    4) When my grandparents were born, Ulster was part of the Irish Free State.
    5) Thus, I am also automatically a citizen of Eire (Ireland)
    6) Thus, I am also automatically a citizen of the EU
    Having that many passports gets VERY expensive VERY quickly, but I'm thankful for them!

    • @jmurray1110
      @jmurray1110 Před rokem +7

      All northern Irish citizens may opt in for Irish passports regardless due to historical circumstances so you could regardless
      Actually with brexit a lot of us were considering applying for Irish pass well as british as an escape option

  • @capnstewy55
    @capnstewy55 Před 2 lety +1

    All of the coins with sealife on them was an incredible explanation of your point.

  • @PrincessLockette
    @PrincessLockette Před 8 lety +88

    3:33 uh, actually Lithuania and Latvia ARE in the Eurozone and Poland ISN'T in the Eurozone.

    • @Daleks172
      @Daleks172 Před 8 lety +13

      +PrincessLockette old video

    • @libanabdi2253
      @libanabdi2253 Před 8 lety +35

      +PrincessLockette It's not on there because they joined after this video was made, however you're right about Poland because they have never been a part of the Eurozone.

    • @GlowingHorror
      @GlowingHorror Před 8 lety +4

      Actually this video was made in 2013 and Latvia and Lithuania didn't have the Euro at the time. But You're completely right about Poland.

    • @kacperszyniec8622
      @kacperszyniec8622 Před 8 lety

      +PrincessLockette thank you

    • @kacperszyniec8622
      @kacperszyniec8622 Před 8 lety

      +Liban Ibrahim Abdi And never will :p

  • @aristerosgiatros8742
    @aristerosgiatros8742 Před 6 lety +49

    Thanks for the reference
    -greek person, 2018

  • @cycl0n236
    @cycl0n236 Před 2 lety +5

    England: "No"

  • @The-ZebraFinch-Channel
    @The-ZebraFinch-Channel Před 2 lety +5

    Turkey and other countries: pls let me in
    European Union:*no*
    Eu Union: : hey wanna join switz?
    Switzerland: N O

  • @SmileyNoteblock
    @SmileyNoteblock Před 5 lety +395

    American text
    *European text*

    • @billy_boi
      @billy_boi Před 5 lety +17

      *dies of fucking cancer because this is so stupid in Croatian

    • @SmileyNoteblock
      @SmileyNoteblock Před 5 lety +17

      *Doesn't live in the EU but gets affected by the meme ban because of the EEA in Norwegian

    • @bigman489
      @bigman489 Před 5 lety +4

      *Nah, Muricaa Fuck Yeaahh*

    • @shirosocool2938
      @shirosocool2938 Před 5 lety +4

      *laughs in asian *

    • @bigman489
      @bigman489 Před 5 lety +1

      Zorux Yes Asian is a language yes.

  • @AtemiRaven
    @AtemiRaven Před 10 lety +215

    What's interesting:
    The USA was originally meant to be something like the EU: a confederacy of what was essentially self governing countries under a relatively weak central body. It too would have been terribly complex.
    Of course we all know that didn't end up happening, and "States," actually ended up being provinces within a strong armed central government.

    • @stareyedwitch
      @stareyedwitch Před 10 lety +18

      Which side (state/provinces or the federal government) got the worse end of the deal is the question

    • @AtemiRaven
      @AtemiRaven Před 10 lety +7

      stareyedwitch
      It's all a matter of perspective.

    • @Inkyminkyzizwoz
      @Inkyminkyzizwoz Před 10 lety +1

      stareyedwitch That'd be an interesting topic for another video!

    • @itube612
      @itube612 Před 10 lety +49

      the political diversity is the biggest glitch of the EU. EU is comparable with US in many ways, but we will never become a superpower of major relevance on the world map unless we get further federalized and get more centralized federal power. I am ok with our strongest armies having just a fraction of the U.S. military budget. We never set a goal of policing world, we also may not be the best guy to do it as some of our countries had colonies in the past. Our role is rather to mediate peace and diffuse conflicts by dimplomatic means. When that fails, it's good to know our stronger brother has our backs. And vice versa. We're happy to be your allies within NATO and co-operate when you guys need our help.

    • @vernement4752
      @vernement4752 Před 10 lety +4

      And that's the ultimate european project, but there is a language wall and a country identity too strong.

  • @owenofhb8319
    @owenofhb8319 Před 2 lety +4

    Correction! At 3:25 you put Poland as a part of the Eurozone. Poland uses the Złoty, not euro.

  • @kyriakosapostolidis3437
    @kyriakosapostolidis3437 Před 3 lety +2

    I don't think Sweden has a "formal opt-out" on joining the Eurozone. Only Denmark has. Sweden like Czechia and others are theoridtcally obligated to adopt the Euro but there are some "technicalities" which they can use "time" it.

  • @wetasspaddington
    @wetasspaddington Před 5 lety +284

    I get that very subtle reference in the music. It's Ode to Joy, the Official Anthem of the EU.

    • @anselmschueler
      @anselmschueler Před 5 lety +68

      wow very subtle

    • @DisconnectedRoamer
      @DisconnectedRoamer Před 4 lety +2

      I thought only countries have official anthems.....

    • @tevildo7718
      @tevildo7718 Před 4 lety +14

      ​@@DisconnectedRoamer The EU is complicated due to its nature as a political-economic union that has no real precedent in history or any real firm term for what they are. (IE they are not just a multinational organization), they are not a confederation because confederations are generally much looser and less centralized than the EU is (which is more a statement of how little control there is in a confederation than anything) and its certainly not a nation-state but at the same time the EU is often treated as a nation-state due to its influence for example up till relatively recently EU ambassadors to the US were in the same category as ambassadors from nation-states rather than international organizations.

    • @Zen-rw2fz
      @Zen-rw2fz Před 4 lety +2

      @@tevildo7718 It started as union and only recently gained the political power it has now and yet they managed to keep itself as democratic as possible.

    • @kokki1452
      @kokki1452 Před 4 lety +1

      @@Zen-rw2fz * democratic enough that nothing went up in flames. **EU sure likes their asterisks

  • @ChristmasTrax
    @ChristmasTrax Před 9 lety +270

    I didn't realise I was able to move to Norway. I'm off to pack my bags. Good bye Britain!

    • @nikg8052
      @nikg8052 Před 9 lety +51

      ChristmasTrax Well if some Brits get their way, you will have to move back soon.

    • @ethanquirk28
      @ethanquirk28 Před 9 lety +7

      By now its a bit more than some.

    • @Keloot
      @Keloot Před 8 lety

      ChristmasTrax there are a lot of brist in norway lol

    • @ChristmasTrax
      @ChristmasTrax Před 8 lety +3

      Ethan Quirk I don't think there is to be honest. When you look at say a 1,000 idiots on there own it looks like a lot until you realise everyone else isn't so utterly brainless to feel the need to blame everything on immigrants

    • @ethanquirk28
      @ethanquirk28 Před 8 lety

      ChristmasTrax What you just said has no merit in argument to what I have said, as there are a lot more than just 1000 idiots in Britain. They are also not the only ones with the opinion

  • @zaharizahariev6362
    @zaharizahariev6362 Před 2 lety +2

    3:01 As a Bulgarian I would say that the Bulgarian lev looks a bit different now and we are currently waiting to enter the eurozone.

  • @labitx
    @labitx Před 3 lety +2

    I just got a new noise cancelling headphones and was surprised to hear the EU anthem playing as the background. Watched this a few times and this is the first time I realize that.

  • @kalimbatuna6462
    @kalimbatuna6462 Před 10 lety +106

    I love how he zooms in on Greece.

  • @benjaminxie2037
    @benjaminxie2037 Před 3 lety +69

    7 years and I'm still waiting for a CGP Grey video on how the EU works as promised 🤣

  • @ashleyanne2056
    @ashleyanne2056 Před 3 lety +5

    I feel like a snarky re-upload of this video is going to happen within the next few months where Grey just censors and edits out everything to do with Great Brittan

  • @Walter-mr5hd
    @Walter-mr5hd Před 3 lety +1

    The euro currency is interesting because countries like a Czech republic are required to accept euro,...sometime. So, UK has/had opt out, but other countries are required to accept it, but whenever they feel like.

  • @minefilms1122
    @minefilms1122 Před 7 lety +160

    EXCEPTIONS EXCEPTIONS EXCEPTIONS
    MORE EXCEPTIONS
    I WANT THEM
    GIVE ME MORE ASTERISKS

  • @foorack
    @foorack Před 6 lety +168

    Sweden does not have an opt-out from the euro. They are legally obliged to adopt it, but a referendum in 2003 voted 56% no so the government has intentionally avoided fulfilling the economic criterias ever since.

    • @chahinmorsli7018
      @chahinmorsli7018 Před 5 lety +17

      Damn Sweden is sneaky af 😂😂

    • @celestialtree8602
      @celestialtree8602 Před 5 lety +48

      "Hey Sweden, reached those economic goals yet?"
      "Nope"
      "Why not?"
      "uhh"
      "Well?"
      "uuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

    • @Anonymous-df8it
      @Anonymous-df8it Před 2 lety +3

      Is that even legal?

    • @JJLiu-xc3kg
      @JJLiu-xc3kg Před rokem +13

      @@Anonymous-df8it Montenegro just uses the euro without permission and nobody’s really done anything about it…Sweden NOT using it vs Montenegro just deciding to…

    • @karanaima
      @karanaima Před rokem +6

      Imagine if they accidentally succeed in meeting the criteria

  • @furkangoth
    @furkangoth Před 3 lety +3

    1:23 I wasn’t expecting Yohanna as the Icelander so thanks for making my day.

    • @cana0
      @cana0 Před 2 lety +1

      Is she famous?

    • @furkangoth
      @furkangoth Před 2 lety +1

      @@cana0 She was runner up in eurovision 2009.

  • @prolarka
    @prolarka Před 3 lety +3

    I was taught since elementary that the Eastern geographic border of Europe is the Ural mountain range and the Caucasus. That did not sound vague to me.

    • @catalintimofti1117
      @catalintimofti1117 Před 2 lety

      they are pretty clear idk why he said vauge in this vid he is usually spot on

  • @Mulaaks15
    @Mulaaks15 Před 6 lety +58

    Minor detail: You don't lose your EU-citizenship if you live in the Faroe Islands (a tiny part of Denmark), because there is no "Faroese citizenship", only "Danish Citizenship". So while EU laws and regulations don't apply to the Faroe Islands, a Faroe Islander/Dane who lives there regains their EU citizenship when they leave the territory.

    • @SirMonday
      @SirMonday Před 2 lety +12

      I assume that's why his careful word usage in that section was "upon which *while* citizens of Denmark live", the "while" implying that it persists only for the duration of residency.

  • @CoolieCoolster
    @CoolieCoolster Před 8 lety +74

    Didn't see anyone mention it but Creeper at 0:42

    • @phantompizza
      @phantompizza Před 8 lety +18

      +Marc Cosgaya Capel And of course the people with mine craft icons as there profile pictures noticed it.

    • @Ajek-ui4yw
      @Ajek-ui4yw Před 8 lety

      +CoolieCoolster yep

    • @adambennett805
      @adambennett805 Před 8 lety +1

      Because no one cares

    • @Talleyhoooo
      @Talleyhoooo Před 8 lety

      +CoolieCoolster naw, too pixelated.

    • @ThornMu
      @ThornMu Před 8 lety

      +CoolieCoolster Took a while to find it. At first I thought you were just referring to one of two women's green suit coats.

  • @manweoettam
    @manweoettam Před rokem +3

    It could be beautiful an update version of this video.

  • @EdbertWeisly
    @EdbertWeisly Před 3 lety +2

    Saba and friends sounds like a delightful television show

  • @thatonewriter8043
    @thatonewriter8043 Před 7 lety +217

    "Though lying about those goals is certainly not something anyone would do." *slow zoom to Greece*
    Before macroeconomics, I wouldn't have gotten that joke, but after writing a paper on the Greek financial crisis, I know significantly more about that. It's one of those jokes that you laugh at, then get sadder about the longer you think about it.

    • @irthamepali
      @irthamepali Před 6 lety

      ThatOneWriter fml

    • @mustafa-cx2fg
      @mustafa-cx2fg Před 6 lety +2

      please i have zero prior knowledge about economics , but I want to start learning about it. Could you refer me to some beginner resources ?

    • @luftwaffle3566
      @luftwaffle3566 Před 6 lety

      The internet is the solution. Just search randomly, you're bound to find something!

  • @buhdahto
    @buhdahto Před 5 lety +173

    Switzerland is part of the European Free Trade Association, as are Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. By agreement, Swiss citizens are allowed to live in EU/EEA countries. Conversely, all EU/EEA citizens are allowed to live in Switzerland.

    • @HoaNguyen-zl5hs
      @HoaNguyen-zl5hs Před 5 lety +4

      Buhdahto so they are technically in the EU, accept they dont have to go through endless regulations...

    • @meandmetoo8436
      @meandmetoo8436 Před 5 lety +24

      @@HoaNguyen-zl5hs and can't vote EU laws.

    • @edipires15
      @edipires15 Před 5 lety +6

      Hoa Nguyen no Switzerland isn’t in the EU period.

    • @meandmetoo8436
      @meandmetoo8436 Před 5 lety +8

      @@edipires15 you swiss are in denial, same as the Norwegian.
      Your countries cannot exist without accepting EU regulations, and your politics perfectly know that.
      In fact you have nothing to lose and everything to win by entering the EU (because then you would be able to actually vote on the laws, and no, you don't have to take the €.)

    • @edipires15
      @edipires15 Před 5 lety +12

      Me AndMeToo first the all, I’m not Swiss nor Norwegian, I’m an EU citizen and proud of it.
      2nd Switzerland has a way of governance which is incompatible with the EU. The cantons have a great level of autonomy that would be lost if they ever join the EU. And they have referendums for everything, so one canton can singlehandly block an entire EU initiative (like Wallonia did when CETA was negociated).
      Lastly, I think you sir are in denial: Switzerland has lived 400 years with their own regulations, if they participate in some European projects (like the Schengen area) they have done of their own free will, no one has imposed them anything.
      Oh and joining the Euro is a requirement for entering the EU (when conditions apply of course)

  • @deepalib3096
    @deepalib3096 Před 3 lety +1

    Such an informative video

  • @albertseed9418
    @albertseed9418 Před 3 lety +1

    Just noticed that ode to joy was playing the anthem if the Eu
    Nice touch

  • @EirikXL
    @EirikXL Před 7 lety +74

    1:26 Lichtenstein money looks like an action film

  • @steficristian6003
    @steficristian6003 Před 7 lety +176

    "Unclear boundary" Weren't the Ural Mountains the ones that separated Europe from Asia?

    • @finnishfinn904
      @finnishfinn904 Před 6 lety +22

      Stefi Cristian Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus, Black Sea, Istanbul, Meditterenian, Gibraltar, Atlantic and Arctic Ocean

    • @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760
      @doyoufeel...thatyoulackcri6760 Před 6 lety +5

      *Ayathollah Merkel: **_"MAKE EUROPE ISLAMIC AGAIN"_*

    • @lindaa7373
      @lindaa7373 Před 6 lety +2

      Europe isn't a continent lol do you see water between it in Asia?

    • @MarkusAldawn
      @MarkusAldawn Před 6 lety +14

      Technically it's a peninsula.
      But in that case, seeing as the Suez and Panama canals are both man-made, technically there is only one America, and an Afro-Eurasian supercontinent.

    • @lindaa7373
      @lindaa7373 Před 6 lety

      Markus Aldawn i mean yea but at least it’s water no matter who made it happen. there is no water barrier between europe and asia

  • @fullyboilthatpotatoe
    @fullyboilthatpotatoe Před rokem +2

    I remember walking over a bridge from Belgium to Germany in 2020, getting an email that said welcome to germany, please follow our quarantine rules, and going back, getting the same email.

  • @inqizzo
    @inqizzo Před 2 lety +2

    3.30 2 years after this video came out a new goverment was elected in poland and it canceled the switch to euro ( :[ )