Europe: 27 countries with different histories and cultures united to create a single global power and, as the official website of the European Union says, to “make things better, safer and easier”. But how do outside countries see this idea and, above all, its creation? In 2024, through the European elections, we could witness a growing interest from external countries in their results, making the influence of this union on the international level increasingly evident. For countries around the world, Europe is a symbol of cultural influence, modern power, and ever-evolving values. When observed from outside, however, it transmits various opinions based on the geopolitical context of the observer. The EU can convey admiration, criticism or indifference. The different opinions are certainly also influenced by the history of the country from which it is observed. Many European countries in the past have in fact been powerful colonizers, influencing, for better or for worse, even geographically very distant nations.
