To be fair, the CEE 7/7 plug will work almost everywhere in the EU, not counting the UK of course.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#CEE...

If you use a screwdriver or similar to open the socket covers (shove the screwdriver into the earth socket) then you can indeed use a CEE 7/7 in a UK socket.

I used to do this with my keys every time I traveled to the UK and forgot my adapters.

Well, they are standardized - it's just that the standard (sadly) accepts a substantial number of different plug designs... Some countries did have to adapt when the standard was defined or if they joined after the standard was set. Compared to what we had before, it was a substantial simplification of the landscape, even if it doesn't go all the way to mandate a single plug design.

Italian sockets can be easily vandalised into a type C socket in a pinch. I know, I've done it once in a fit of anger.

> Italy has different ones (Type L)

Non-ancient sockets in Italy are _bipasso_, meaning they accept both the 16 and 10 A variants of the Type L, and the 10A variant is compatible with the Europlug, making it really a non issue. In households you'll also likely find Type-L compatible Schuko (usually) sockets for higher power devices, or even combo sockets that can work as two _bipasso_ or one Schuko.

So in the end standardization ended up working anyway and no one is struggling because of this (also standards about wire gauges made extension cords safe to use)

> and the UK too (but they are no longer ... you know) ...

We have the same sockets in Ireland, so the EU still has the same number of different standards.

But still each govt standardizes them to some extent right?

/me cries in Danish ;_;