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What the European Union means to me - Referat
After Great Britain left the European Union, the question, if it is still necessary, popped up in many heads. The European Union is a community of 26-member states (after the Brexit) that has a parliament that is elected by the people from every country and represents them proportionally. The European Union has advantages like a free trade zone, no internal borders, student programs and many more.
I have never understood why countries want to leave such a community or why they should stay. That is why I asked myself the question of what the European Union means to me. First of all, I think it means a lot of freedom. Even though the governments of the member states are restricted in their legislation, for a citizen it means the possibility to travel without border control or having to order a visa before you travel. It is also possible to work or study in any European country. There is a law that says that no matter which European country you come from, the universities or companies have to treat you the same. Moreover, the European Union guarantees a lot of safety. I am happy to go to school every day, live my religion freely and not to fear war. Never before have there been over 70 years of freedom in Europe and now we have more than freedom, we have friendship. A friendship that crosses borders, connects nations and can live even though there might be a speech barrier and cultural differences. When I traveled to London and stayed with a host family while the discussion about Brexit was ongoing and the first referendum chose that they want to leave the European Union, my host family said that leaving the European Union is sad, but one more border could never destroy all their international friendships. That might be a good perspective but don't we all just want to stay together as one community? Why do we even have to talk about being able to cross those borders? The economic advantages are not the main point in this discussion. Rich member states of the European Union have to pay a lot of money for projects that serve the poorer member states. The country I live in, Germany is one of those rich countries but I do not think at all that paying this money is a waste. Every country needs help from other ones once in a while. Solidarity is very important when we want to live together in one community.
In conclusion, I think the European Union means more than freedom or economic advantages for me. It means being safe, not only in the context of not having a war but also that other countries help if Germany or another country is facing difficulties. And it also means traveling, discovering other cultures and having an identity that is not only German but also European.
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