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The European Union's parliament voted overwhelmingly to ban many single-use plastic items, part of an effort to keep pollution and waste out of waterways. The European Parliament backed the ban in a 560-35 final vote on Wednesday. EU member states have given their support but need to vote on the measure for it to go into effect.

The ban would affect a range of plastic products for which reasonable alternatives exist, from straws to earbuds, starting in 2021. Disposable utensils would be allowed, but the measure calls for them to be made of sustainable materials when possible.

The approved legislation also sets a goal of having plastic bottles 90 percent recycled by 2025 and to cut in half the litter from 10 items that turn up in oceans most often. The EU estimated the changes will cost the bloc's economy 259 million euros to 695 million euros a year ($291 million to $781 million).

The proposals "will help us move on from single-use plastics and toward less consumption, the multiple use of better-designed products, more innovation and a cleaner environment. The next step is to move away from our waste-based culture," said Margrete Auken, an EU lawmaker for the Greens/EFA group.

The European Parliament has said plastics production is 20 times higher now than during the 1960s. Most of that plastic ends up in the ocean, with less than one-tenth being recycled. China last year cracked down on importing waste from the EU and U.S, a move that helped spur the EU plastics ban.

The U.S. state of Hawaii is considering a similar ban on single-use plastics.

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Formed in 1958 the European Union is an economic and political union between 28 member countries. It was created after World War II as a way to ensure peace between European nations. These countries share a common currency called the Euro. Those in who reside in EU countries are also granted EU passports, which allow for easy travel between nations. In 2016, Brittain shocked the world by choosing to leave the EU. The referendum was known as Brexit.

The treaty of Rome is seen as the formation of the what is now called the EU. Its official name was the Treaty Establishing the European EconomicCommunity. It created a single market across the nations for goods, labor, services, and capital. It also proposed a reduction in customs duties. The treaty sought to strengthen the economies of the nations and to promote peace. After two World Wars, many Europeans were eager for peaceful alliances with their neighboring countries. In 2009 the Treaty of Lisbon would officially change the Treaty of Rome's name to The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Several countries are in the process of integrating or transitioning into the European Union. Membership in the EU is a long and difficult process, it also requires a free-market economy and a stable democracy. Countries must also accept all the EU legislation, which can often take years to accomplish.

On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the EU. The popular term for the referendum was Brexit. The vote was very close, 52% of the country voted to leave.David Cameron, then Prime Minister, announced the results of the vote along with his resignation. Teresa May would take over as Prime Minister. She promoted the Great Repeal Bill, which would repeal the country's legislation and incorporation into the EU. A petitioncalling for a second referendumreceived almost four million signatures but it was rejected by the government. The United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union by April 2019. It will take nearly two years for the country to sever its legal ties to the EU.

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What Countries Are in the European Union?

#1NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL,ANDBOSTON GLOBEBESTSELLERNAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYTHE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWAND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYThe Washington PostO: The Oprah MagazineTime NPR Financial TimesThe EconomistThe GuardianNewsdayRefinery29Real Simple Bustle Pamela Paul, KQED Publishers WeeklyLibraryReadsLibrary JournalNew York Public Library PRESIDENT BARACKOBAMAS SUMMERREADING ONE OF BILL GATESS FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE An unforgettable memoir about a young girl who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge UniversityBeautiful and propulsive . . . Despite the singularity of [Tara Westovers] childhood, the questions her book poses are universal: How much of ourselves should we give to those we love? And how much must we betray them to grow up?VogueBorn to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Taras older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if shed traveled too far, if there was still a way home.Praise forEducatedWestover has somehow managed not only to capture her unsurpassably exceptional upbringing, but to make her current situation seem not so exceptional at all, and resonant for many others.The New York Times Book ReviewA heartbreaking, heartwarming, best-in-years memoir about striding beyond the limitations of birth and environment into a better life.USA TodayA coming-of-age memoir reminiscent ofThe Glass Castle.O: The Oprah MagazineHeart-wrenching . . . a beautiful testament to the power of education to open eyes and change lives.Amy Chua,TheNew York Times Book ReviewAmazon.com Review:Amazon Editors' #1 Pick for the Best Book of 2018: Tara Westover wasnt your garden variety college student. When the Holocaust was mentioned in a history class, she didnt know what it was (no, really). Thats because she didnt see the inside of a classroom until the age of seventeen. Public education was one of the many things her religious fanatic father was dubious of, believing it a means for the government to brainwash its gullible citizens, and her mother wasnt diligent on the homeschooling front. If it wasnt for a brother who managed to extricate himself from their isolatedand often dangerous--world, Westover might still be in rural Idaho, trying to survive her survivalist upbringing. Its a miraculous story she tells in her memoir Educated. For those of us who took our educations for granted, who occasionally fell asleep in large lecture halls (and inconveniently small ones), its hard to grasp the level of gritnot to mention intellectrequired to pull off what Westover did. But eventually earning a PhD from Cambridge University may have been the easy part, at least compared to what she had to sacrifice to attain it. The courage it took to make that sacrifice was the truest indicator of how far shed come, and how much shed learned. Educated is an inspiring reminder that knowledge is, indeed, power. --Erin Kodicek, Amazon Book Review

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The United States, the European Union, and the ...

The European Union is a group of 28 countries throughout Europe that have combined to form a union based on political and economical compatibility and fusion. In the interest of brevity and efficiency, many of the countries can be easily abbreviated into just two letters. These official EU abbreviations are used in a number of places, including government documentation.

The most common place where you will encounter abbreviations in the European Union (EU) is with the names of the countries themselves.

Other countries that are in Europe but aren't part of the EU are:

While it's easy to assume that the Euro (EUR) is the only currency used through the European Union, that's simply not the case. In addition to the modern EU currencies listed below, countries within the European Union had previously used their own local currencies, like the Austrian schilling (ATS), the Estonian kroon (EEK), the Italian lira (ITL), the German mark (DEM), and the French franc (FRF), among others.

In addition to abbreviating the names of European countries, the EU also features a number of abbreviated forms of official organizations and programs.

In general, it is easy to address many of the countries, organizations, programs, offices and currencies of the European Union by their established abbreviations. For the most part, the abbreviations are very well known, making it easy for everyone to know which organization, office or program is being referred to without much of an issue.

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Abbreviations of the European Union

There are by now (2016) 28 27 member states in the European Union.

Members of the EU are (with national name in parentheses)Austria (sterreich), Belgium (Belgi (Dutch), Belgique (French), Belgien (German)), Denmark (Danmark), Finland (Suomi), France, Germany (Deutschland), Greece (), Ireland (ire), Italy (Italia), Luxembourg (Luxembourg (French) Luxemburg (German) Ltzebuerg (Luxembourgish)), Netherlands (Nederland), Portugal, Spain (Espaa), Sweden (Sverige), and United Kingdom (on extended leave).

New Member States of the European Union:Czech Republic (esk republika), Estonia (Eesti), Hungary (Magyarorszg), Latvia (Latvija), Lithuania (Lietuva), Malta, Poland (Polska), Slovakia (Slovensko), Slovenia (Slovenija), and a divided Cyprusbecame union members in May 2004. Bulgaria () and Romania (Romnia) became union members in January 2007.Croatia (Hrvatska) became the 28th member of the European Union in 2013.

EU candidate countries:FYR Macedonia, Turkey

Others: AlbaniaAlbania applied for European Union membership in 2009. Officially recognised by the EU as a "potential candidate country".IcelandDespite the fact that Iceland is already heavily integrated into the EU market, the country applied to join the EU in 2009. In 2013 Iceland's government paused negotiations with the European Union, due to disagreements in matters of fishing fees and tax cuts.MonacoRelations between Monaco and the European Union (EU) are primarily conducted through France.NorwayNorway is not a member state of the European Union, but is closely associated with the Union through its membership in the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA comprises the member states of the European Union, except Croatia, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.SerbiaSerbia officially applied for European Union membership in 2009, the European Commission recommended to make it an official candidate in October 2011.

keywords: online map of western europe, eastern europe, central europe, political map of europe

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Map of Europe - Member States of the EU - Nations Online ...