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 ==Associate Member== 

 What's an associate member?  The article says that Turkey is one, but makes no other mention of this term.  Information on what an associate member is, and a list of current associate members, would be appreciated. - 23:38 7 Jul 2003 (UTC) 

  
 There's a page somewhere which lists them, but it isn't too detailed. They are mostly European nations who wish to apply in the near future, and also non-European members who want to join, but obviously cannot, so this is as close as they can get.  

 Also, regarding the marriage story above, the UK and Ireland are exempt from many such laws as they are outside the Schengen Area   

 == Most powerful organization in history == 

 ::The European Union is the most powerful international organisation so far in history. 

 This seems like an odd statement to me.  The United Nations is pretty powerful; as an example, if it wanted to, it could attack any country with the largest military force that could possibly be mustered.  I'd bet the Roman Empire belonged to a couple of pretty powerful entities that could be called international organisations.    

 ::Technically speaking, the Roman Empire (and the British and any other Empire) were, by definition, international organisations.  Maybe ""most powerful regional organisation"".  16:06, 2003 Dec 20 (UTC) 

 The UN isn't that powerful, note its failure to prevent the American led invasion of Iraq, or Indonesia's attack on East Timor. The UN has no economic power, and also no military power as there is no UN army. For peacekeeping purposes the member states 'lend' troops, and more importantly, the UN does not have the authority to declare war. 

 I also disagree that Empires are organisations. Organisation implies a body made up of member states, an Empire is simply one state occupying many others.  

 ==Country?== 

 Pre-May 2004 posts on this topic archived here.   

 The EU is not a country in that sovereignty ultimatly lies with the member states, who can leave the union at any time. The Federal EU government also can only have powers given to it by the member states. Therefore it is a 'pooling' of powers, very unlike the USA which has a domianant central government. The idea that the EU is a 'country' would horrify most Europeans! In fact, it is closer in style to organisations such as the UN, or NAFTA, than it is the United States  

  
 Any claim that the EU is or is not a nation will be politically controversial. The European Union has many features that are normally only held by sovereign countries. Some of these are purely symbolic (a flag, an anthem). Others are more substantial (a currency, supremacy of its law over that of its member states, direct applicability of (some of) its laws in member states). Some features (its foreign policy, police and armed forces) are still embryonic, and can be used to argue either side of the point. 

 - 

 The EU currently resembles an alliance or maybe a confederation more than anything, and bear in mind that historically confederations either dissolve or become federations. And that federations either dissolve or become unitary states.  

 The United States has managed to become a federation for over two hundred years without dissolving (despite the Civil War) or becoming a unitary state.    

  
 The EU is of course not yet a country. It has separate armies and the EU has no way to enforce its rulings. Therefore it is not a state (state's are usually defined by sovereignty over a territory usually ensured by a monopoly of force, something the EU does not have) 
 - CJWilly 

 : Good grief, I certainly hope it's not the definition for a country; not only does it make an outrageous emphasis on brutal force, but it would also mean that countries like Island, or the Swiss Confederation before the Sonderbund war, don't exist. Countries are defined by a set of powers, notably legal power, the right to produce currency, political law-making, ... among which force is a very minor and optional one.   

 ==GDP Graphs== 

 I do not think we need both graphs since by definition they have to loo