 That said, it is important not to confuse sovereignty in this sense of ultimate authority with the idea of economic or political power. For example, to say that the States that emerged from the collapse of the European empires after World War II acquired sovereignty on an equal basis as their former colonies is to say that they were endowed with the ultimate authority to decide matters—such as the regulation of social and economic activities in their territory—which had hitherto been the domain of the colonial powers. Whether these newly independent States also acquired the socio-economic or political clout to take on, for example, big multinational corporations operating in their territory, or whether they became more powerful politically than the former colonial powers, is another matter. To use a different example, by leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom regained sovereignty over matters which (unlike colonies of course) it had freely agreed to transfer to the European Union during the time of its membership, but whether this increase in sovereignty means an increase in power or influence is a different matter. Authority can be bestowed upon those that have no power, and power can be wielded by those with no authority.