NewsTracker Answers for week of May 27, 2019

Q: More than half the voters in 28 nations of the European Union (EU) elected a new parliament during four days of voting. Where is the European Union?

Circle the area on this map

Q: While two thirds of those elected to the parliament support the EU, nationalists who want to weaken the economic and political union gained more seats. Which nation is now negotiating to leave the EU?

A. Britain

B. France

C. Germany

D. Italy

A. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland voted in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU. But, British leaders have been unable to agree to any deal with the remaining 27 EU members on terms for leaving. The so-called Brexit threatens to slow economic growth in the UK and the rest of Europe.

Q: The EU’s history dates back to the aftermath of World War II when European integration was seen as a way to stop the extreme nationalism that had devastated the continent. Which nation was NOT one of the six countries to form a “Common Market” that grew into the EU?

A. Belgium

B. France

C. Italy

D. United Kingdom

D. The first six members – Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands – formed the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, which evolved into the European Economic Community and eventually the EU.

Q: Before the election, an EU official said both President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to weaken Europe. The EU imposed economic sanctions on Russia after it annexed what in 2014?

A. Belarus

B. Crimea

C. Latvia

D. Ukraine

B. After unmarked Russian forces and local militiamen seize the Crimean Peninsula from the Ukraine, Russia annexed the territory. Many nations, including the United States, considered the annexation illegal and imposed economic sanctions on Russia. President Trump has called the EU an “economic foe” and raised tariffs on some EU goods.

Q: A wave of immigration into Europe led to the recent rise of the nationalist and populist parties which are challenging EU leadership. Many were refugees were fleeing a civil war in which country?

A. Belarus

B. Saudi Arabia

C. Syria

D. Tajikistan

C. A civil war in Syria caused almost half the country’s people to flee their homes and many of those to flee the country. Almost 1 million of Syrian refuges sought asylum in Europe. The arrival of Syrians and other immigrants from southwest Asia and from Africa led to a political backlash in Europe.