European Union (EU)

Meanings

1. 1proper nounproper

   A political and economic group of European countries that cooperate on trade, law and many shared policies.

   Grammar: Always used with 'the': the European Union. Its short form EU also takes 'the'.

   Patterns

   • the European Union
   • join the European Union
   • the EU member states

   Croatia became a member of the European Union in 2013.

   The European Union sets rules on food safety for all its members.

   She works for the European Union in Brussels.

2. 2abbreviationproper

   The short form EU, used to refer to the European Union.

   Grammar: Read as two letters, 'E-U'. Used with 'the': the EU.

   Patterns

   • the EU
   • EU law
   • an EU country

   The UK left the EU in 2020.

   EU citizens can travel freely between most member states.

   The new rule must be approved by the EU.

Common combinations

member state of the European Union

Ireland is a member state of the European Union.

join the European Union

Several countries hope to join the European Union this decade.

EU law

Companies must follow EU law when selling in Europe.

the European Union summit

Leaders met at the European Union summit in Brussels.

Synonyms and how they differ

the EU

The standard short form; use it after you have given the full name once.

the Community

An old-fashioned name for the earlier European Economic Community; it is rarely used now and can confuse readers.

Word family

European adjective

Relating to Europe or the European Union.

Euro noun

The currency used by many EU countries.

Commonly confused: European Union (EU) or Europe? European Union (EU) or Council of Europe?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “European Union (EU)”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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