So you thing you know about Europe (with thanks to the Grauniad)

How well do you know the EU ? (Ibis, if you want to do this quiz please pm the answers to me - I will reveal them in due course, for the avoidance of spoilerdom)

1 Who is the President of the European Commission?

2 Where is the seat of the European Parliament?

3 How many full member states of the EU are there?

4 Which of these is not part of the EU: Slovenia, Martinique, Estonia or Norway?

5 Who elects European Commissioners?

6 Can you name the MEPs who represent your region?

7 Which of these is an EU requirement: passports for pets, straight bananas, or toys for pigs?

Counting House - Guesstimates Please

Ranking of the EU in list of largest to smallest democratic electorates in the world (India is first).

number of constituents -

number of member states.

number of MEPs.

number of EU staff.

number of parliamentary groups

2 largest parliamentary groups

MEPs from Germany - largest representation

MEPs from Malta - smallest representation

number of languages spoken

official languages

Facebook friends on Jose Manuel Barroso's site.

Facebook friends on Hans-Gert Pottering's site.

the European Commission's budget this year to the nearest million

per cent of budget allocated for MEPs' expenses

MEPs daily signing in fee (an attendance fee for signing in at the door).

Amount spent on guarding the EU's buildings in Brussels.

Amount spent on an EU study this year to investigate reducing its administration costs.


An appropriate prize will be awarded to the winner

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1 Who is the President of the European Commission?

Barroso

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2 Where is the seat of the European Parliament?

Brussels

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3 How many full member states of the EU are there?

27

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4 Which of these is not part of the EU: Slovenia, Martinique, Estonia or Norway?

Norway isn't anyway... Do you mean that only one isn't? If more than one aren't in the EU, then Martinique

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5 Who elects European Commissioners?

Hmm, the EP? After nomination by national governments?

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6 Can you name the MEPs who represent your region?

Not a hope. Avril Doyle, maybe. Brian Cowley perhaps? And sure I'll throw Mary Lou and Gay Mitchell in for the laugh (some of those are definitely wrong though).

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7 Which of these is an EU requirement: passports for pets, straight bananas, or toys for pigs?

If by straight bananas you actually mean curved bananas then that one. Elsewise, I dunno, passports for pets I suppose.

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" " largest democratic electorate in the world (India is first).

Well that all depends on who you consider "democratic" which is a dodgy subject (I guess we aren't counting China?) I'll say second though.

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number of constituents -

Approx. 498 million.

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number of member states.

27

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number of MEPs.

783, thereabouts.

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number of EU staff.

Approx. 20k?

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number of parliamentary groups

Eh... 200

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2 largest parliamentary groups

EPP and PES?

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MEPs from Germany - largest representation

Approx. 75?

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MEPs from Malta - smallest representation

Jaysus... I'll say 2

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number of languages spoken

1, though the French have problems pronouncing some of the English

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official languages

These are quite hard... I'll say 17

From that question down I really don't have a clue.

Very good evercloserunion, a lot of right answers there as well as some wrong ones. You may be hard to beat.

Is number 2 Strasbourg?
Number 7 is Passports for Pets
Number 5 seems like a trick question as commissioners are selected from national representatives, so I'm going to say that they're elected by voters in their own country, and then appointed by someone else.

AfricanDave wrote:

Is number 2 Strasbourg?
Number 7 is Passports for Pets
Number 5 seems like a trick question as commissioners are selected from national representatives, so I'm going to say that they're elected by voters in their own country, and then appointed by someone else.

No flies on you AfricanDave. I'll give the full answers on Sunday.

cactus flower wrote:

1 Who is the President of the European Commission?

JosE Manuel Barroso

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2 Where is the seat of the European Parliament?

Strasbourg and Brussels

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3 How many full member states of the EU are there?

Twenty Seven.

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4 Which of these is not part of the EU: Slovenia, Martinique, Estonia or Norway?

Norway. Martinique is an overseas department of France and as such is part of the EU.

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5 Who elects European Commissioners?

Nobody does, they are appointed by the council and approved by the parliament.

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6 Can you name the MEPs who represent your region?

[quote]
Aylward, Doyle and McGuinness.

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7 Which of these is an EU requirement: passports for pets, straight bananas, or toys for pigs?

Pet passports.

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Counting House - Guesstimates Please

" " largest democratic electorate in the world (India is first).

number of constituents -

About 430 million eligible voters, total population just shy of half a billion at 495 million.

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number of member states.

27

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number of MEPs.

785

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number of EU staff.

170k

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number of parliamentary groups

8. with nine if you include the non-inscrits as a group.

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2 largest parliamentary groups

EPP-ED with 277 and PES with 218

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MEPs from Germany - largest representation

99

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MEPs from Malta - smallest representation

5

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number of languages spoken

65ish

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official languages

23

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Facebook friends on Jose Manuel Barroso's site.

1500

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Facebook friends on Hans-Gert Pottering's site.

1000

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the European Commission's budget this year to the nearest million

134.4 Billion.

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per cent of budget allocated for MEPs' expenses

65million

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MEPs daily signing in fee (an attendance fee for signing in at the door).

€235

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Amount spent on guarding the EU's buildings in Brussels.

Dunno.

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Amount spent on an EU study this year to investigate reducing its administration costs.

Dunno.

Just to add you may wish to check my answers with a third party, Cactus Flower, know liar that I am.

I've added Jose Manuel Barroso as a friend on my facebook.
I won't give the correct number but I can say that cookiemonster is way wrong about the number of friends he has.

AfricanDave wrote:

I've added Jose Manuel Barroso as a friend on my facebook.
I won't give the correct number but I can say that cookiemonster is way wrong about the number of friends he has.

funny, it never came up wile studying the EU.

That seems like a fairly important piece of information that was left out of your course. If I was in your position I would lodge a complaint with the highest office.

AfricanDave wrote:

That seems like a fairly important piece of information that was left out of your course. If I was in your position I would lodge a complaint with the highest office.

On the fifth floor? Ohhh, this must be bad.

cactus flower wrote:

So you thing you know about Europe (with thanks to the Grauniad)

How well do you know the EU ? (Ibis, if you want to do this quiz please pm the answers to me - I will reveal them in due course, for the avoidance of spoilerdom)

1 Who is the President of the European Commission?

Jose Manuel Durao Barrosso.

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2 Where is the seat of the European Parliament?

Brussels usually but they decamp to Strasbourg for a few weeks to assuage French self-regard.

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3 How many full member states of the EU are there?

27.

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4 Which of these is not part of the EU: Slovenia, Martinique, Estonia or Norway?

Norway because they're total loners.

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5 Who elects European Commissioners?

Well, they are strictly appointed by the council of the heads of government in each member state and the council's choice of commission is ratified by the parliament.

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6 Can you name the MEPs who represent your region?

Eoin Ryan, Gay Mitchell, Proinsias De Rossa(who could forget a name like that!) and Mary Lou McDonald.

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7 Which of these is an EU requirement: passports for pets, straight bananas, or toys for pigs?

Passports for pets. Straight bananas is a Mailograph bogeyman and toys for pigs is just silly.

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Counting House - Guesstimates Please

" " largest democratic electorate in the world (India is first).

What does this question mean?

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number of constituents -

There are about 425 million EU citizens eligible to vote.

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number of member states.

27(still).

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number of MEPs.

Too many! 765ish

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number of EU staff.

About 100 thousand.

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number of parliamentary groups

China's lucky number, 8.

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2 largest parliamentary groups

The EPP-ED and PES.

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MEPs from Germany - largest representation

99.(like the ice cream! Mmm)

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MEPs from Malta - smallest representation

5

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number of languages spoken

In the EU? Well, there are over 160 spoken in Ireland so I'd say about 1500 for the EU as a whole.

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official languages

23.

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Facebook friends on Jose Manuel Barroso's site.

-9

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Facebook friends on Hans-Gert Pottering's site.

2 million(inexplicably)

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the European Commission's budget this year to the nearest million

€135 billion(roughly 1% of the EU's GDP)

[quote]per cent of budget allocated for MEPs' expenses[/quote[

Negligible I'd wager. Wouldn't that be in the European Parliament's budget?

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MEPs daily signing in fee (an attendance fee for signing in at the door).

A pound of flesh which, according to the Chicago Board of Trade equals about 200 euro.

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Amount spent on guarding the EU's buildings in Brussels.

I don't care.

[quote]Amount spent on an EU study this year to investigate reducing its administration costs.

1 million Humphrey Appelbys.

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An appropriate prize will be awarded to the winner

Oooh! Ich freue mich wirklich darauf!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

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2 Where is the seat of the European Parliament?

Brussels usually but they decamp to Strasbourg for a few weeks to assuage French self-regard.

Originally it was in Strasbourg only. Then a second building was built in Brussels, supposedly to allow MEPs to invite European commissionners to their parliamentary commissions' works, the plenary sessions remaining in Strasbourg.

This of course causes absurd practical difficulties and costs. But the original choice of Strasbourg was historically relevant: it symbolized the reconciliation of France and Germany, the region of Alsace having often changed master. The choice of Brussels on the contrary was irrelevant, because:

1) The commissionners should move to the Parliament when invited by the Parliaments' commissions, and not the MEPs move close to the civil servants

2) Brussels already had one EU organ, the Commission.

It is true that today it is mostly the French who defend the seat in Strasbourg, not in a grand vision but just to protect what they have on their territory. But it can also be interpreted that the others have lost sight of the civilizational aspect of Europe, and prefer a Europe of business without a soul. Especially the British.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

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4 Which of these is not part of the EU: Slovenia, Martinique, Estonia or Norway?

Norway because they're total loners.

They are just richer outside than within. This doesn't prevent them to develop all the relationships they wish with Europe, and to maintain a prestigious diplomacy worldwide.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

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Counting House - Guesstimates Please

" " largest democratic electorate in the world (India is first).

What does this question mean?

I think it means that the EU has the Xth largest democratic electorate in the world and we're supposed to find the value of X.
I haven't a clue and am going to guess second.

AfricanDave wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

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Counting House - Guesstimates Please

" " largest democratic electorate in the world (India is first).

What does this question mean?

I think it means that the EU has the Xth largest democratic electorate in the world and we're supposed to find the value of X.
I haven't a clue and am going to guess second.

Thank you for clarifying that AfricanDave - that is what I intended to ask.

arnaudherve wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

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4 Which of these is not part of the EU: Slovenia, Martinique, Estonia or Norway?

Norway because they're total loners.

They are just richer outside than within. This doesn't prevent them to develop all the relationships they wish with Europe, and to maintain a prestigious diplomacy worldwide.

I know that arnaud, I was just approaching the questions with my tongue in cheek!

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

Why not? ibis'll be great!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

Why not? ibis'll be great!

I thought if he went first it might be a spoiler.

cactus flower wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

Why not? ibis'll be great!

I thought if he went first it might be a spoiler.

That could've happened, but there's been a good few attempts since. I'd like to see him have a go.

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

Why not? ibis'll be great!

I thought if he went first it might be a spoiler.

That could've happened, but there's been a good few attempts since. I'd like to see him have a go.

Me too. I think he might be on his hollyers but I'll give him a shout. "Ibis ! IBIIIS ! IIIIIIIBIIIIIIIIIIIS !!!

cactus flower wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

Why not? ibis'll be great!

I thought if he went first it might be a spoiler.

That could've happened, but there's been a good few attempts since. I'd like to see him have a go.

Me too. I think he might be on his hollyers but I'll give him a shout. "Ibis ! IBIIIS ! IIIIIIIBIIIIIIIIIIIS !!!

No, don't shout, ibis doesn't like that. Just leave a pert young Libertas volunteer lashed to a plinth and ibis'll come bounding down the mountain!

He came last time I called, but here I go:

Ganley Libertas eurosceptic girl lashed to plinth Lisbon Treaty Second referendum US UK LBJ Yes Vote No Vote Three Bags Full of Votes...

I don't know that this is going to work either.

cactus flower wrote:

He came last time I called, but here I go:

Ganley Libertas eurosceptic girl lashed to plinth Lisbon Treaty Second referendum US UK LBJ Yes Vote No Vote Three Bags Full of Votes...

I don't know that this is going to work either.

Wait. I'll try this....

God, the EU is like soooo anti-democratic.

The European Commission is an unelected, unaccountable, uncaring and fundamentally nasty cabal of elitist Eurocrats who are more interested in where their next hit of caviar is than worrying about the ordinary people of Europe.

The EU wants to take our babies and indoctrinate them into becoming a new EU Superarmy.

The EU represents a clear and present danger to our national identity. For the sake of our Sky boxes, Daily Mails, Man U matches and Coronation St, vote No!

That should get him going...

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

So he can tell us we're all wrong, make with the weasel words and say "hmmm" a lot? Sure, why the hell not!

cookiemonster wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

I'm very impressed with the standard of entries so far. Do you think we should let Ibis enter now ?

So he can tell us we're all wrong, make with the weasel words and say "hmmm" a lot? Sure, why the hell not!

Perhaps he's worried that there might be some trick questions ...