PRESENT DAY EUROPE Great Britain, European Union, European Parliament, and Separatist movements

Great Britain = England, Scotland, Wales United Kingdom = England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland The British Isles = Great Britain, Ireland, and smaller islands such as the Isle of Man

The Commonwealth of Nations Def: a voluntary association of countries that were formerly British colonies They work together towards common goals and support each other They recognize the United Kingdom Monarch as their king or queen but remain politically independent The current head of the Commonwealth is Queen Elizabeth II There are 53 member states with a total population of 2.2 billion people

Antigua and Barbuda Australia The Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Darussalam Cameroon Canada Cyprus Dominica Fiji Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka St Kitts and Nevis St Vincent and The Grenadines Swaziland Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom United Republic of Tanzania Vanuatu Zambia Antigua and Barbuda Australia The Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Darussalam Cameroon Canada Cyprus Dominica Fiji Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka St Kitts and Nevis St Vincent and The Grenadines Swaziland Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom United Republic of Tanzania Vanuatu Zambia

Commonwealth Realm Def: A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch There are currently 16 Commonwealth realms: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu

British Overseas Territories These are fourteen areas that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St. Helena, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Pitcairn Island, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus

The European Union Economic and political union between 28 member countries located primarily in Europe – Over 500 million citizens Maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development Ensures the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital It also enacts legislation in justice and home affairs 19 member nations have adopted the Euro

Important institutions of the European Union – European Commission – The Council of the European Union – The European Council – The Court of Justice of the European Union – European Central Bank – The European Parliament

The European Union started with the formation of the ECSC in 1951 Members to the European Parliament are elected every five years (the last election was in 2010) – They are elected by citizens of the member states Current member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom

Criteria for nations to join the European Union Must meet the Copenhagen criteria defined in 1993: – Must have a stable democracy that respects human rights – A functioning market economy capable of competition – The acceptance of the obligations of membership including EU law

No member state has ever left the Union Official candidates: Macedonia, Albania, Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey Potential candidates: Bosnia and Kosovo Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland have chosen not to join the EU although they are partly committed to the EU’s economy and regulations

The European Parliament The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the EU and is one of the most powerful legislatures in the world It is composed of 736 MEPs who serve as the second largest democratic electorate in the world Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sit in seven Europe-wide political groups – The two largest political groups are the Christian Democrats and the Alliance of Socialists and Democrats

The four nations that have the most number of seats in the European Parliament are: – Germany – 99 – France – 72 – Italy – 72 – United Kingdom – 72 The three main roles of the European Parliament are: – Passing laws – Democratic supervision of EU institutions – Power of the purse

CRISIS IN THE UKRAINE A prolonged crisis in Ukraine began on 21 November 2013, when then president Viktor Yanukovych suspended preparations for the implementation of an agreement with the European Union. This decision resulted in mass protests. After months of such protests, Yanukovych was ousted by the protesters on 22 February 2014, when he fled the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev. Following his ousting, unrest enveloped the largely Russophone eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, from where he had drawn most of his support. An ensuing political crisis in the Ukrainian autonomous region of Crimea resulted in the annexation of Crimea by Russia on 18 March. Subsequently, unrest in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine evolved into a war between the post-revolutionary Ukrainian government and pro-Russian insurgents. Although Putin denies any Russian involvement, the Ukraine claims that Russian troops are fighting with the pro-Russian insurgents.

SEPARATIST MOVEMENTS Experts have calculated that in the 21 st century more than ten new states may emerge in Europe The nations with the most separatist movements are: – Italy with 18 – France with 12 – Russian Federation with 12 – United Kingdom with 11 – Spain with 9

Nine nations still have monarchies today: – Belgium - Denmark - Norway – United Kingdom – Monaco - Luxembourg – Netherlands - Spain - Sweden

HAPSBURGS During the different centuries they ruled Austria, Spain, Hungary, and Bohemia Charles I was the last Austrian Emperor The Hapsburg Law states that the Hapsburgs are banished from Austrian territory unless they renounced all intentions of reclaiming the throne The current head of the family is Karl von Hapsburg – He lays claim to the thrones of Austria, Hungary, Czech (Bohemia), Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bosnia, Poland

The Hapsburgs are traditionally Catholic – In 1988 Otto von Hapsburg hit a person who insulted the Pope at the European Parliament There are lots of Hapsburgs around today

Hohenzollern The Hohenzollerns lost their throne in 1918 – However the House of Hohenzollern themselves never relinquished their claims The current head of the Hohenzollern family is Prince Georg Friedrich – His Royal Highness the Prince of Prussia – His Imperial and Royal Highness the Prince of Prussia

Romanov The current head of the Romanov family is Nicholas Romanov The Romanov Family Association is made up male-line descendants of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia – The purpose of the Association is to strengthen links between the family and protect from imposters