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EU jargon: A-Z guide to

Brussels-speak - BBC News

Confused by all the Brussels-speak in the news? Here's a glossary

to demystify commonly-used EU jargon words and acronyms.

A
Acquis communautaire: The entire body of European laws is
known as the acquis communautaire. This includes all the treaties,
regulations and directives passed by EU institutions as well as the
rulings of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Countries have to
reform their legal systems to incorporate the acquis before they can
join the EU.
Advocate-general: A key position at the ECJ - there are eight

advocates-general. Their job is to advise judges about the legal

points at issue in a case. An advocate-general issues an Opinion
before the judges give their ruling, and it is seen as an early
indication of the ECJ's thinking about a case. The judges usually,
but not always, follow that Opinion.
Anti-trust: One of the European Commission's key tasks is to
ensure fair and free competition in the EU single market. EU rules
prohibit agreements that restrict competition, such as company
cartels that set high prices. Rules of this kind are known as "antitrust" legislation. The Commission can impose fines on firms for
anti-competitive practices.
Article 50: An article in the Lisbon Treaty known as the "exit
clause", it provides members with a formal mechanism to leave the
EU. A UK "leave" vote in June would most likely trigger the Article
50 procedure. It has never been used before. It says "any member
state may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its
own constitutional requirements".
Association agreement: These are comprehensive partnership
agreements that the EU signs with countries that may join the EU at
some future date. In most cases they include a free trade deal and
signal closer political ties. The one with Ukraine triggered Russian
hostility and played a big role in the Ukraine crisis.

B
Bailouts: The term for the massive rescues launched by the EU in
the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Greece accumulated colossal
debts after joining the euro and its three bailouts totalled 326bn
(252bn; $358bn). Most was EU money (taxpayer-funded), but the

International Monetary Fund also contributed. To get the loans

Greece had to accept painful economic austerity. Cyprus, Ireland,
Portugal and Spain have also received huge bailouts, but smaller
than Greece's. Separate British bailouts (with taxpayers' money)
rescued the UK banks Northern Rock, Royal Bank of Scotland and
Lloyds.
Banking union: The 19 countries that use the euro (the eurozone)
are completing a banking union. It is aimed at shoring up the
eurozone's foundations and restoring market confidence. The
European Central Bank now has a direct role in supervising
eurozone banks. The other main reforms are: a system for winding
up problem banks in an orderly way and a general insurance
scheme for savers.
Bloomberg speech: The January 2013 speech at Bloomberg news
HQ in London where Prime Minister David Cameron set out his EU
reform agenda, calling for a "new settlement" for the UK, to be
followed by an in-out referendum on EU membership. His key points
were: creating a much more competitive EU, more powers for
national parliaments and a UK opt-out from "ever closer union". But
he did not raise the free movement of EU migrants as an issue.
Brexit: Short for Britain and exit - used to describe the scenario if
the UK votes to leave the EU. Apparently derived from "Grexit" - the
popular term for a possible Greek exit from the euro.
Bruges speech: A landmark September 1988 speech by then UK
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in which she expressed the fear
that a "European superstate" was emerging. She demanded that the
then European Community respect the diversity of nations and focus
on free trade and economic liberalisation. But she also said "Britain's

destiny is in Europe, as part of the Community".

C
Charter of Fundamental Rights: A political declaration, upholding
basic values such as the right to freedom of speech and thought,
and equality before the law. It also recognises the right to strike and
fair working conditions, and covers data protection and bioethics.
The EU's Lisbon Treaty has a reference to it, making it legally
binding.
Citizens' initiative: A mechanism for EU citizens to lobby the
European Commission directly to legislate on a particular issue. A
European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) requires the backing of at least
one million citizens in at least seven EU countries. The sevencountry rule also applies to the "citizens' committee" which has to be
set up in order to submit an ECI.
Co-decision: The means by which the European Parliament shares
decision-making with the Council (the EU governments).
Co-decision now applies to about 75% of EU legislation, so in most
areas MEPs are on an equal footing with ministers. The Lisbon
Treaty renamed it as "the ordinary legislative procedure".
Cohesion: The cohesion policy is an attempt to reduce the
development gap between different EU regions by redistributing
funds from richer to poorer areas. About 34% of EU spending goes
on cohesion. Ex-communist countries in Central and Eastern
Europe are the main beneficiaries.
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): The CAP used to be the
dominant issue for the European Community and it remains at the

heart of the EU's business. CAP spending has been reduced - it

now consumes about 30% of the EU budget. The CAP has been
reformed - instead of the subsidies that led to butter mountains and
wine lakes the EU now gives farmers direct payments, not tied to
production. But the CAP is still controversial. Critics say it is wasteful
and favours rich landowners and big agri-businesses.
Common Fisheries Policy (CFP): Like the CAP, the CFP is aimed
at ensuring stable food supplies and reasonable prices for the
consumer. But the CFP has failed to halt overfishing that has
endangered cod, tuna and some other popular species. Annual
quotas set under the CFP have contributed to the problem of
"discards". That is the chronic waste when crews throw fish back
into the sea to avoid exceeding their quota. Under a 2013 CFP
reform, discards are being phased out and technical changes
should help make fishing more sustainable.
Coreper: The abbreviation for the committee of permanent
representatives to the EU, which prepares the work of the ministerial
Council. It is made up of the 28 ambassadors (permanent
representatives) to the EU - or their deputies.
Council of Europe: Based in Strasbourg, it is a body of 47
countries that aims to promote democracy and protect human rights.
It is not an EU institution, but the 28 member states and all the
candidate countries are members. It set up the European
Convention on Human Rights, and cases relating to the convention
are brought before the European Court of Human Rights.
Council of Ministers: Usually just called "the Council". It
represents the member states' national governments. Government
ministers from all member states meet regularly, according to policy

area. The presidency of the Council rotates between each member

state every six months. Together with the European Parliament, the
Council has the power to make EU laws and decide the budget.
Court of Auditors: It is the EU's independent external auditor and
financial watchdog. Based in Luxembourg, it produces regular
reports on how the EU budget is spent. It is required to report fraud
cases to the EU anti-fraud agency, called Olaf.

D
Democratic deficit: A term used to describe what some people say
is a gap between the powers of the EU and the power of its citizens
to influence EU decision-making. Critics argue that EU institutions
lack transparency and that the elected officials, MEPs, have much
less influence than the unelected EU commissioners.
DG: This stands for Directorates-General. There are 34 DGs in the
European Commission, covering different policy areas, ranging from
transport to external relations. Each DG is headed by a
commissioner, who is assisted by the director-general (also referred
to as a DG) and a group of civil servants.
Directive: An EU legislative act setting a goal that all EU countries
must achieve, but it is up to each country to decide how it reaches
that goal. It differs from a regulation (see below).

E
ECB: The European Central Bank based in Frankfurt is responsible
for implementing European monetary policy. It works together with
the national central banks of the EU states. Its goal, as defined by

the Maastricht Treaty, is to maintain price stability in the eurozone. It

was given sweeping new supervisory powers in the banking reform
launched after the 2008 financial crisis.
EEA: The European Economic Area (EEA) provides for the free
movement of persons, goods, services and capital in the EU's single
market. All 28 members are in the EEA, as are three of the four
EFTA countries - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The EFTA
countries are not bound by EU rules for agriculture and
fisheries. Switzerland is in EFTA but not in the EEA - it has bilateral
accords enabling it to participate in the single market.
EEAS: The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the EU's
diplomatic service. It has its own staff and offices worldwide, as well
as diplomats seconded from member states. It is headed by the
High Representative, Federica Mogherini from Italy.
EFTA: The European Free Trade Association, which promotes free
trade and economic integration between Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway and Switzerland. EFTA was set up in 1960 as an alternative
group for those countries which were not, or did not want to be, in
the then European Economic Community. The UK and four other
countries also used to be in EFTA, but left when they joined the EU.
EMU: Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is the official name of
the monetary union that brought about the single currency, the euro.
Enlargement: The EU has gone through several phases of
expansion since it came into being in the 1950s. The biggest was
the 2004 "big bang" when 10 countries joined, eight of them
ex-communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. The most
recent country to join was Croatia, in 2013. Now there are 28

member states.
ESM: Launched in 2012, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)
is commonly known as the eurozone bailout fund. It is an
intergovernmental organisation based in Luxembourg, which
borrows in the financial markets, by selling bonds, and uses that
cash to fund eurozone bailouts. It has a maximum lending capacity
of 500bn (387bn; $550bn). Its shareholders are the eurozone
countries. It superseded the EU's European Financial Stability
Facility (EFSF), set up in 2010.
ETS: The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) was launched in
2005. Its purpose is to reduce industrial emissions of the
greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). Permits for emitting CO2 are
distributed under a system of national allocations. The permits are
traded - so big polluters can buy extra ones from greener
enterprises. The ETS is not looking very robust now however
because of persistently weak carbon prices.
Eulex: The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, a
civilian mission set up to strengthen the rule of law in the Balkan
territory, which broke away from Serbia in 1999.
Euro: The single currency was launched at the beginning of 1999,
when 11 EU member states decided to adopt it, abandoning their
national currencies. Greece joined in 2001. The euro was launched
in its cash form on 1 January, 2002. There are now 19 countries in
the eurozone.
Eurogroup: The forum where the 19 eurozone economics and
finance ministers meet. Their regular meetings usually precede
Ecofin meetings - that is, meetings of the 28 EU finance ministers.

European Commission: It is more than simply the EU's civil

service. It is the only body that can formally initiate EU legislation. It
is sometimes seen as the driving force behind European integration,
but is ultimately under the control of the member states. There are
28 commissioners, each in charge of a policy area, such as
agriculture or transport. Commissioners are appointed by the
member states - one from each - and are usually senior politicians.
They have a duty to act in the general European interest.
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is a powerful political
figure in the EU.
European Council: The gathering of EU countries' heads of state
or government and their foreign ministers. Commonly known as EU
summits. European Council decisions set the EU's priorities and
strategic goals. The European Council President is appointed for
five years. Donald Tusk (Polish) took over in December 2014 from
Herman Van Rompuy (Belgian).
European Court of Justice: Based in Luxembourg, the ECJ rules
on disputes over EU treaties and other EU legislation. Its decisions
are binding on EU institutions and member states. Cases can
involve aggrieved governments, EU institutions, companies or
ordinary citizens.
European Parliament: The parliament is the EU's only directly
elected body. There are 751 MEPs. It holds monthly plenary
sessions in Strasbourg, and has a secretariat in Luxembourg, but
MEPs do most of their work in Brussels.
European Arrest Warrant: The EAW is a tool aimed at speeding
up and simplifying extradition proceedings in the EU. An EAW is
issued by a national judicial authority. The system was introduced in

2004 and has helped in bringing some terror and drugs suspects to
trial, though critics say some authorities issue too many EAWs for
relatively minor offences.
Europhile: One who admires Europe and/or supports EU
membership. Often used loosely, eg for someone who likes French
cuisine and Italian opera. Eurosceptics tend to use it pejoratively for
their opponents.
Europol: This is the European Law Enforcement Organisation.
Based in The Hague, it tries to improve co-ordination between police
forces across the EU against international organised crime.
Eurosceptics: The core of Euroscepticism is the belief that EU
integration, the pooling of more sovereignty, threatens the nation
state. Eurosceptics range from those who want far-reaching reform
of the EU to those who totally reject the EU. About 25% of MEPs are
in Eurosceptic parties, nearly all right-wing or far-right. The anti-EU
UK Independence Party (UKIP) has the largest contingent of British
MEPs.

F
Federalism: A system of government where several states pool
sovereignty in some areas but keep their independence. There is a
central government and state governments - and much variation
internationally in terms of their relative powers. EU integration is
often called "federalism" - suggesting that supranational institutions
are gradually usurping national governments.
Fiscal Compact: An intergovernmental agreement to enforce
budget discipline. It was signed in 2012 by all EU states except the

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UK and Czech Republic. Signatories have to adopt a balanced

budget law - without such a law they cannot get an ESM bailout. The
agreement sets strict limits for the budget deficit and national debt.
Frontex: The EU agency tasked with ensuring border security.
Based in Warsaw.

G
Grexit: A new Greek bailout deal hammered out in July 2015 staved
off the very real threat of a Greek exit from the euro, a "Grexit". Since
2010 Greece has been dependent on EU-IMF loans, and the
austerity demanded by its lenders has left it in recession, with
chronic unemployment. Grexit could make Greece competitive
again, some argue, but others warn that it would send prices
skyrocketing, deepening poverty.

O
Ombudsman: It is the job of the independent ombudsman
(currently Emily O'Reilly) to act as a watchdog for EU institutions, to
ensure that they are transparent and accountable. The ombudsman
investigates complaints from EU citizens, firms or organisations and
makes recommendations to EU institutions. She cannot impose a
solution but can raise the issue with MEPs, so that they act on it.

Q
QMV: Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) is a system of weighted votes
- the usual way that decisions are made in the Council of Ministers.
The votes are weighted according to a country's size and
population. There is a "double majority" rule for votes on
Commission proposals: a measure is approved if 55% of EU
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countries vote for it (ie 16 out of 28) and they represent at least 65%
of the total EU population.

R
Rapporteur: The European Parliament's lead negotiator on a
particular issue, in the co-decision process with the Council.
"Rapporteur" means the one who drafts the report, ie a legislative
report which states the MEPs' position on a new draft law.
REACH: This stands for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation
of Chemicals. It is the EU regulatory system for chemicals, which
took effect in 2007. Companies have to report all chemical hazards
linked to their products - and that means extra costs for industry.
Rebate: The UK gets an annual rebate from the EU budget. In 2015
it was 4.9bn, so the UK's net contribution to the budget was
projected to be 9.1bn. Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
won the UK rebate in 1984 after a big row about farm subsidies. But
there is much opposition in the EU to the UK rebate. Some richer
countries also get annual reductions, but smaller than the UK's:
Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Regulation: An EU legislative act that is immediately enforceable as
law in all member states simultaneously. In contrast, EU directives
allow flexibility for national legislators.

S
Schengen: The 1985 Schengen agreement, named after a town in
Luxembourg, removed internal border controls, allowing
passport-free travel for people in most of Europe. Six countries

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signed it initially, but now Schengen embraces 22 EU countries and

the four EFTA countries. The UK and Ireland opted out of Schengen.
Subsidiarity: It is an EU principle that decisions should be taken as
closely as possible to the citizen. Subsidiarity requires the EU to
check whether action at EU level will be more effective than action at
national, regional or local level.

T
Troika: The name for the international lenders who organised and
monitored the eurozone bailouts: the European Commission, ECB
and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
TTIP: The controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership (TTIP), being negotiated between the EU and US. It
could create the world's biggest free trade zone, and both sides
hope to complete the deal this year. Supporters say TTIP will create
many new business opportunities and jobs; opponents warn it could
undermine workers' rights and European social welfare.
Turkey: A candidate to join the EU - but the relationship is fraught
because of the migrant crisis. Most migrants - many of them Syrian
refugees - get into the EU via Turkey. Its EU membership bid is
mired in problems, including the unresolved Cyprus dispute. Many
Europeans object to a large mainly Muslim country joining the club.
But the EU has pledged to speed up the Turkish negotiations.

U
Unanimity: The Lisbon Treaty extended QMV to more policy areas,
reducing the veto powers of member states. QMV speeds up EU

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decision-making, as there is less scope for vetos. Unanimity is still

required in areas deemed especially sensitive, including taxation,
social security and defence policy.

W
Working Time Directive: It sets limits for working hours in the EU,
including: at least four weeks' paid annual leave guaranteed; a
minimum period of 11 hours' rest every 24 hours, and one day a
week; a right to work no more than 48 hours per week. The UK has
an opt-out from the 48-hour rule - so in the UK workers can choose
to work longer hours.

Z
Zero sum game: The notion - revived in the EU-Russia crisis over
Ukraine - that one side's gain means an equivalent loss for the other
side. Harking back to the Cold War, the phrase suggests a new era
of EU-Russian rivalry in Europe.

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