EU
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | European Union |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Organizations & Companies, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | Eu |
EU has two meanings. It stands for European Union (international organization) or Europium (chemical element).
Meanings of EU at a glance
| # | EU stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Union | Organizations & Companies › International Organization |
| 2 | Europium | Science & Engineering › Chemical Element |
1. European Union
Organizations & Companies · International Organization Abbreviations
Political and economic union of 27 European countries with a single market allowing free movement of goods, services, capital and people, a common trade policy and, for most members, the euro. Its main institutions are in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg.
Example: EU leaders agreed a new package of sanctions at the summit.
The EU was created by the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, building on the European Economic Community of 1958. The United Kingdom left on January 31, 2020, the only member to withdraw. It received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012. Its population is about 450 million, and Brussels is often used as shorthand for its institutions.
2. Europium (Eu)
Science & Engineering · Chemical Element Abbreviations
Red and blue light from many fluorescent-lamp, LED and older television phosphors comes from europium (atomic number 63), the most reactive lanthanide, which oxidizes quickly in air. Europium luminescence has also been detected in the ultraviolet security features of euro banknotes.
Example: The red phosphor in the lamp is yttrium oxide activated with Eu ions.
Eugène-Anatole Demarçay detected europium spectroscopically in 1896 and isolated it in 1901, naming it after Europe. Americium, directly below it in the actinide row, was later named after the Americas by analogy. Europium's two common oxidation states, +2 and +3, give phosphors of different colors, which lighting engineers exploit.
Related abbreviations
More international organization abbreviations
- EEA – European Economic Area
- EEC – European Economic Community
- EFTA – European Free Trade Association
- ESA – European Space Agency
- FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- FATF – Financial Action Task Force
- FSB – Financial Stability Board
- FVEY – Five Eyes
See all 108 international organization abbreviations →