What
does the European Union mean to you?”
Not many American
teenagers know exactly what the European Union (EU) is
or what it does. What does it have to do with them? The
EU only deals with events in Europe, not the United States,
right? The EU does deal with everything in the countries
that are members to the Union; however, the EU does have
something to do the USA. So the EU does have something
to do with me, it means something to me. The European
Union has a lot to do with me. I have many family members
that live in France and Italy. Whatever the EU does to
them affects me. The EU controls my entry into EU countries.
It dictates what kind of currency I use when I visit my
relatives. More generally, the fact that Europe and the
United States are engaged in trade and work together on
a great variety of social and political worldwide issues.
Many of the products I buy are from some of the countries
in the EU, which means that the EU has an effect on the
things I buy. If something goes wrong in the EU’s
agriculture or economy, it affects what happens to me
here in America. In addition, the EU regulates certain
sports organizations in Europe, including some soccer
leagues that I watch. The EU’s decisions on these
organizations affect if I will be able to watch and enjoy
European soccer. To me, the European Union means unity
and hope. The EU means unity because it unites its member
states (all 27) together in many ways. One way, and one
of the most important in my opinion, is that official
currency of the EU is the Euro. Many of the member countries
accepted the Euro as their country’s official currency.
This makes many things, such as trading between states
or anything that involves money, easier because everything
becomes ordered and organized. To me, the European Union
means hope because the organization does a lot to help
the people of its member countries. The EU creates hope
for its people by creating jobs and tackling problems
in the environment, which is very important. As you can
see, the European Union does mean something to me. It
does have an effect on my life, whether with soccer, my
family in Europe or economically. To me, the EU means
unity and hope for the citizens of the Union for various
reasons. One example of unity is that the EU created the
Euro, which is the official currency of the EU, which
keeps things organized. One example of hope, to me, is
that the EU deals with environmental problems, trying
to find a solution, which I believe is extremely important
to present-day governments. Even though the European Union
deals with its member states problems, it still means
a lot to me.
