EU Trivia Quiz

cactus flower wrote:

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 ...

There wouldn't be, as it wasn't drafted by any EU institution.

cookiemonster wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

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 ...

There wouldn't be, as it wasn't drafted by any EU institution.

C'mon Ibis, we need someone to put us straight on all this.

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!

With an invite like that, how could one resist, except easily?

ibis wrote:

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!

With an invite like that, how could one resist, except easily?

Ha! Ibis as you can see from the thread, your presence has hovered over it from the very first post. My only concern was that a too-accurate first response would take all the suspense and fun of getting it wrong away. Now that some other people have had a go, you are warmly invited to take part.

I was sure you'd be pleased to see that we are still working away at the ABCs of the EU.

Last call for entries:

Winners will be announced tomorrow.

ANSWERS:

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)

Quote :

1 Who is the President of the European Commission?

José Manuel Barroso

Quote :

2 Where is the seat of the European Parliament?

Strasbourg

Quote :

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

27

Quote :

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

Norway

Quote :

5 Who elects European Commissioners?

No one.

Quote :

6 Can you name the MEPs who represent your region?

http://www.europarl.ie/irish.html#list
Dublin
Proinsias de Rossa
Mary Lou McDonald
Gay Mitchell
Eoin Ryan
East
Liam Aylward
Avril Doyle
Mairead McGuinness
North West
Marian Harkin
Jim Higgins
Seán Ó Neachtain
South
Colm Burke
Brian Crowley
Kathy Sinnott

Quote :

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

Passports for pets.The EU requires bananas to be labelled by type, but not to be straight. Pigs are required to have access to straw, but not to toys.

Quote :

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

Second

Quote :

number of constituents -

495,000,000 constituents

Quote :

number of MEPs.

785

Quote :

number of EU staff.

5,800

Quote :

number of parliamentary groups

Seven parliamentary groups

Quote :

2 largest parliamentary groups

The two largest are the European People's Party-European Democrats and the Party of European Socialists.

Quote :

MEPs from Germany - largest representation

99

Quote :

MEPs from Malta - smallest representation

5

Quote :

number of languages spoken

23

Quote :

official languages

2 - English and French

Quote :

Facebook friends on Jose Manuel Barroso's site.

171 at start of quiz

Quote :

Facebook friends on Hans-Gert Pottering's site.

30

Quote :

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

950 million

Quote :

per cent of budget allocated for MEPs' expenses

21%

Quote :

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

150 euro a day

Quote :

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

24,760,000.00 euro

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

14,400,000.00

An appropriate prize will be awarded to the winner

This is one of the best "colour pieces" on the EU that I've read:- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/nov/25/eu.politics

10 marks to evercloserunion. Well done!

3 out of the 3 you tried AfricanDave.

14 Cookiemonster - stunning performance.

14 to you too Ard Taoiseach. Well done!

1 out of 1 to arnaudherve - the Seat is indeed Strasbourg, and Brussels is only some kind of encampment.

That means it is a dead heat between Ard Taoiseach and Cookiemonster, I am
EUphoric for them. Should it be a split prize, or a tie breaker ???

The surprising ones were perhaps the small staff and budget of the EU. I remember looking the staff numbers up years ago and being surprised at how few staff there were. The EU is all about leverage: a small group exerting a big effect.

AT and I are opposite sides of the same coin.

cookiemonster wrote:

AT and I are opposite sides of the same coin.

Your award is being polished up and got ready, a bit like the McCarthy cup.

Have you got a link to the number of EU staff?

Also the official languages figure is wrong. There are 23 official languages and the working languages are the same.

cookiemonster wrote:

Have you got a link to the number of EU staff?

Also the official languages figure is wrong. There are 23 official languages and the working languages are the same.

You are absolutely right. Bloody Grauniad.

The Commission say 23,000 based on their own staff, and Open Europe after a mega tot up conclude 170,000....http://www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-index/legal-and-constitutional/eu-staff-totals-170-000--$1235688.htm

Now I'll have to count the points again...

Still a dead heat.

cactus flower wrote:

cookiemonster wrote:

Have you got a link to the number of EU staff?

Also the official languages figure is wrong. There are 23 official languages and the working languages are the same.

You are absolutely right. Bloody Grauniad.

The Commission say 23,000 based on their own staff, and Open Europe after a mega tot up conclude 170,000....http://www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-index/legal-and-constitutional/eu-staff-totals-170-000--$1235688.htm

Now I'll have to count the points again...

You might go and count the staff while you've the abbacus out!

cookiemonster wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

cookiemonster wrote:

Have you got a link to the number of EU staff?

Also the official languages figure is wrong. There are 23 official languages and the working languages are the same.

You are absolutely right. Bloody Grauniad.

The Commission say 23,000 based on their own staff, and Open Europe after a mega tot up conclude 170,000....http://www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-index/legal-and-constitutional/eu-staff-totals-170-000--$1235688.htm

Now I'll have to count the points again...

You might go and count the staff while you've the abbacus out!

Why. Don't you agree with Open Europe? Isn't that your source too?

Anyway, they have probably employed another few thousand while we are talking about it.

cactus flower wrote:

cookiemonster wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

cookiemonster wrote:

Have you got a link to the number of EU staff?

Also the official languages figure is wrong. There are 23 official languages and the working languages are the same.

You are absolutely right. Bloody Grauniad.

The Commission say 23,000 based on their own staff, and Open Europe after a mega tot up conclude 170,000....http://www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-index/legal-and-constitutional/eu-staff-totals-170-000--$1235688.htm

Now I'll have to count the points again...

You might go and count the staff while you've the abbacus out!

Why. Don't you agree with Open Europe? Isn't that your source too?

Anyway, they have probably employed another few thousand while we are talking about it.

I think that's the HSE you're thinking of...actually, the Irish civil service grows by more every year than the EU employs as staff.

Not any more, dye'think Ibis ?

Oh look, I haz stars!

Yes, and your face is on the Wall of Fame on the Portal.

cactus flower wrote:

Not any more, dye'think Ibis ?

Maybe not in the next couple of years, what with one thing and another...

cookiemonster wrote:

Oh look, I haz stars!

As do I! Go raibh míle maith agat. Ba mhaith liom a chuir omós do mo comh-buaiteoir cookiemonster, comhgairdgeas!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cookiemonster wrote:

Oh look, I haz stars!

As do I! Go raibh míle maith agat. Ba mhaith liom a chuir omós do mo comh-buaiteoir cookiemonster, comhgairdgeas!

Congratulations Ard-Taoiseach on a fine performance. It is fitting that you're sharing the title of EU Expert * with cookiemonster, so that both sides of the Lisbon conundrum are represented.
It was a close run thing.

I hope you are pleased with the stars and Roll of Honour, that were beautifully crafted by Auditor #9.