Rare insults

It’s even called the European “Union”, you know, like how the States are a Union (pst, it’s in the name, the UNITED states).

Except they are not the same. One is and has been a federal state, with the majority of it's constituent states not having ever been independent/sovereign states. Almost all have been part of it since electricity at home became a thing.

The other is a confederation of independent (for example, they can leave the union) states, all of which have existed as non EU members. They have also been either independent of part of different countries for centuries. They 've been electrified way before joining the EU.

However with the relatively low lifecycle of electrical appliances almost all plugs and devices are compatible, either being 'true' shuko or fitting in them. The exception being Ireland and the UK in the past.