For questions about claims based in Europe, or limited to Europe.
Questions tagged [europe]
94 questions
21
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1 answer
Did (former) German Minister Manfred Lahnstein admit that Germany wanted the EMS in order to get a competitive edge over other European countries?
A 2017 article about the European Monetary System (EMS) in Foreign Policy relates this story:
But there was always a suspicion that Germany was trying to get long-term trade advantages from linking the [European] currencies. In the early 1980s, the…
Fizz
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18
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Are the majority of EU member-states' local laws made in Brussels?
With the upcoming elections for the European Union, there are claims that most local laws are dictated by the European union these days.
Image source: Buzzfeed
It has always been my understanding that the EU issues directives and it is up to the…
Andra
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16
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1 answer
Do a significant proportion of the British public think "no-deal" Brexit means staying in the EU?
Brexit is the plan to take the UK out of the European Union. The way the law is currently framed means that this will happen automatically at the end of march 2019 if no transition deal is arranged. The latest deal negotiated by the government was…
matt_black
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16
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1 answer
Is the level of support for evolution decreasing in Europe?
The following three articles claim (or suggest) that the level of support for evolution (among the big public) (see wiki > level of support for evolution for definition) is decreasing in Europe.
From: Council of Europe - The dangers of creationism…
Remi.b
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16
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1 answer
Will Europe soon have more Muslims than Christians?
This story, which appeared in the UK tabloid The Sun (and widely repeated elsewhere), has also been doing the rounds on social media.
The original story has the strapline:
Muslims will soon outnumber Christians in Europe, a Belgian government…
matt_black
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16
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1 answer
Did the EU threaten to sue in connection with "Comic Sans" having an eye on the Euro symbol?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_Sans_MS#cite_note-2
Earlier versions of Comic Sans had an eye in the Euro sign. This was
later removed because 'The EU was going to sue us over that.'[2]
The reference suggest yes. However, c'mon....
I still…
user4951
16
votes
1 answer
Do Europeans have a greater chance of making it into the top 1% of income earners than Americans?
In a 2011 Vanity Fair article, Nobel-Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz wrote:
America has long prided itself on being a fair society, where everyone has an equal chance of getting ahead, but the statistics suggest otherwise: the chances of a…
user1873
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15
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1 answer
Do countries deliberately avoid winning Eurovision?
Spanish singer told to lose Eurovision? claims that countries deliberately avoid winning the Eurovision Song Contest because of the expense of hosting it. It claims that:
Montenegro, Andora and Hungary pulled out of the Eurovision song contest in…
Andrew Grimm
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15
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3 answers
Did Europe have a Covid-19 case in December 2019?
CNN reports that a Frenchman named Amirouche Hammar had Covid-19 in December in Paris. This was supposedly discovered after old samples were re-checked for the Covid-19 virus.
Alas there's hardly any detail in that news report besides the fact that…
Fizz
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15
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1 answer
Is there an EU regulation which says flags must be from non-flamable material?
There is currently a viral video spreading around on social networks of an (alleged) anti-eu protester trying to burn an EU flag but has difficulty setting it on fire because, as the post claims,
of EU directive on flammable materials
Example:…
Philipp
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15
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2 answers
Are these human rights in the UK derived from the ECHR?
In Patrick Stewart's sketch "What has the ECHR ever done for us?" concerning the Brexit, he plays the Prime Minister of the UK and asks (satirically):
[..] and what has the European Convention for Human Rights ever done for us in return?
After…
cero
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15
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4 answers
Is Nazi a diminutive of Ignatius?
The German Wikipedia page for Nazi claims that the word Nazi is a diminutive form of Ignatius (Ignatz). The cited source is etymonline.com:
The 24th edition of Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (2002) says the word Nazi was favored in…
user7920
14
votes
1 answer
Has immigration from Eastern Europe impacted UK youth unemployment?
MigrationWatch UK is a think-tank that argues for lower immigration levels into the UK.
In a 2012 Briefing Paper they claimed:
Youth unemployment in the UK increased by almost 450,000 in the
period from 2004 Q1 to 2011 Q3, from 575,000 to…
AnthonyBlake
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14
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1 answer
Is the recent surge in bitcoin prices driven by Cypriot investors?
There are numerous stories out there linking the rise in bitcoin prices seen in the last few weeks with events in Cyprus.
Some stories go as far as claiming that Cypriots are buying the things themselves as an "alternative store of value"…
timday
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13
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Is Sweden 'the most dangerous country in Europe [EU] today' (when it comes to violent crime)?
Bild makes the claims. [Google translated below]
Schweden ist heute das gefährlichste Land in Europa.
[Sweden is the most dangerous country in Europe today.]
In der EU werden durchschnittlich acht Personen pro Million Einwohnern Opfer…
pinegulf
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