spec. The name of a famous political and commercial league of Germanic towns, which had also a house in London. plural. The Hanse towns or their…

A Soviet trading organization in the 1920s and 1930s which sold goods only in return for foreign currency. Used attributively.

An economic association of Communist states in eastern and central Europe, set up in 1949 under the leadership of the Soviet Union and disbanded…

With the and (usually) capital initials. The European Union; the economic agreements governing trade within the European Union. See European Union…

An international organization set up in 1958 to co-ordinate the development and use of nuclear energy in Europe; since 1967, administratively…

Forming nouns relating to the European Union and its predecessors (see European, adj. 5b) or to the European Parliament, as Euro-constituency, Eur…

European Economic Community; see European, adj. 5b.

An economic alliance, on free trade principles, comprising the United Kingdom and several other European countries.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

European monetary union (also economic and monetary union); see European monetary union n. at European, adj. n.compounds 2b.

With the. The European Union, an economic and political association of certain European countries (see European, adj. 5b).