Eurooppalaisten

Eurooppalaisten is the genitive plural form of the Finnish word eurooppalainen, meaning European or a person from Europe. It is used to indicate possession or attribution, as in phrases like eurooppalaisten maiden kulttuuri (the culture of European countries) or eurooppalaisten mielipiteet (the opinions of Europeans). The base adjective-noun eurooppalainen is derived from Eurooppa (Europe) with the suffix -lainen, which denotes origin or belonging. The nominative plural form is eurooppalaiset, while eurooppalaisten is the genitive plural form.

In practice, eurooppalaisten appears when a noun in the genitive modifies another noun, for example eurooppalaisten johtajien kokous (a meeting of European leaders) or eurooppalaisten maiden yhteinen lainsäädäntö (the shared legislation of European countries). When referring to the people themselves as a group, the nominative eurooppalaiset is more common; eurooppalaisten serves to mark possession or association with a plural European group.

The term is neutral in tone and widely used in journalism, academic writing, and everyday speech to describe things related to Europe or Europeans without implying a political stance. It also intersects with broader discussions of European identity, integration, and regional cooperation, including institutions such as the European Union, though the word itself functions primarily as a grammatical form rather than a political label.