"America" is used by US people as a synonym for the country, not the continent. Europe, the EU, and names countries are used with distinction at least by Europeans.
Europe is used by most EU people as meaning the European Union. I lived in a few French overseas territories and in addition to being in France, I was definitely "in Europe" even if not in a geographical sense.
>Europe is used by most EU people as meaning the European Union.
No. Not by this European and it's almost universal to be specific when you talk about these things. That some would say "Europe" but really mean "the set of countries which are part of the European Union" is so rare that I can't recall anyone doing that (except people from outside Europe. That does happen sometimes).
"Europe" to Europeans means the geographical area called Europe.
EU is definitely not a synonym to Europe. That would exclude UK, Norway and other countries that are certainly in Europe. I've never heard anyone even thinking those two things are the same.
The claim was not about Europe, nor about the EU: it was about Europeans, namely that they wouldn't be so 'irresponsible' as to run a towerless airfield.
The citizens of St. Barts are French. Are you claiming they aren't European? Tell me, do they become European when they visit the Metropole? Does this quality vanish when they return to the Caribbean? I'd love an explanation!
I’m a European and if you’d ask me without any context I’d not think of the geographical term which includes chunks of Russia. I’d initially take it as a synonym for the EU and associated states. So YMMV.
Yes but European is not, please don't be obtuse. You don't stop being European when you leave Europe, and you don't magically become a European the moment you get off an airplane onto the subcontinent.
This entire thread is a response to a claim about Europeans, and I took pains to draw out that distinction. Yet here you are talking about Europe. Why?
Ethnically and culturally the residents of St Barth are definitely Europeans. French people who moved to another part of France.
People born there? French kids of French parents.
If St Barth had different demographics, there might be a more meaningful debate to be had about this. It’s not exactly the melting pot you might expect from an old colony.
Of course it does include these countries! Just like America does include Canada, Argentina and even France.
I'm just saying the word "Europe" is in practice very often used, within the EU, as a synonym for European Union and I certainly didn't think that would be controversial. On the other hand, in my experience I've never heard "Europe" being used to exclude Eastern Europe, although I've certainly heard it used to exclude the UK (by British persons most often).
And Saint Barthélémy or Réunion island being "in Europe" certainly doesn't mean in any way that Switzerland isn't, I don't think my comment had even the slightest hint of that.
> Of course it does include these countries! Just like America does include Canada, Argentina and even France.
You were responding to a comment that claimed ""America" is used by US people as a synonym for the country, not the continent." (rightfully so, from my 6 years experience in the US). You responded by making a point that, similarly, Europe is used as a synonym for EU. Which many Europeans claimed it is absolutely not typical (rightfully so, as EU citizen). And now you're saying that the term "Europe" actually does include other, non-EU countries... Quite confusing, to be honest, what your point here is.
> I'm just saying the word "Europe" is in practice very often used, within the EU, as a synonym for European Union
Absolutely disagree, it's not common at all. People say EU when they think EU. It is quite common to refer to oneself as European, though, not Europunionan or whatever, when one is thinking of EU citizenship. And perhaps this is what you had in mind.
> And now you're saying that the term "Europe" actually does include other, non-EU countries... Quite confusing, to be honest, what your point here is.
I don't even understand clearly what we are arguing about. The term "Europe" has different meanings depending on context and speaker, as this thread seems to evidence clearly. All I'm saying at the core is that it's really not exceptional to consider overseas France as part of Europe, and this is actually done all the time here in France.
Regarding the use of "EU" vs. "Europe" our experience clearly differs, but I have to take offense at your claim that my experience is wrong, having lived most of my life in several countries of the EU myself.
Just as another datapoint, look at Wikipedia's disambiguation page for Europe[0]:
Europe may also refer to [...] European Union, a European political supranational entity that excludes Russia and several other eastern European countries.
Perhaps this is a specifically French thing. From the rest of the European countries, which typically don't have overseas territories, Europe refers to the continent, and typically not even Eastern Europe at that.
I've heard people try to use Europe in the context of EU, but typically it requires a clarification because someone misinterprets what they say or it's actually incorrect due to the hold-outs of Switzerland, Norway, UK etc. I heard it more a few years ago than I do now, these days people tend to specifically refer to EU, and Europe more refers to Schengen or the geographical region.
If someone says a European holiday, or it was designed in Europe, or someone is from Europe, the listener doesn't expect Reunion or Serbia, they expect somewhere roughly between Czechia and Spain. Including others under the Europe umbrella would be purposefully deceitful from the speaker's side, or trying to make a political point.
Then again, perhaps this is a central European perspective.
