The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 for the European Union

[muriel_volestrangler]

38. No, I was quite correct, even if you take the strict names

(and, of course, "the Common Market" was never an official name). If you have lived in Europe for most of your life, you haven't been paying attention.

It's been called the European Union since 1993, so the referenda to join in the 3 that joined in 1995, and the 9 of the 10 nations that joined in 2004, were all concerned with the post-Maastricht Union, which introduced the process to create the euro, among many other things. So, of the 21 states that have joined since 1973, 12 had referenda to join the EU. Those that joined before 1993 joined the European Economic Community, but that was more than just a 'trading partnership' - it had things like the Common Agricultural Policy, and the Schengen Agreement was made during it.

You say "it isn't what the people want"; but if you ask the Greek people if they want to remain in it, they say "yes". So do most Germans, and most people in most member countries. Even in the Eurosceptic UK, it's not clear a referendum on leaving would get passed.