Is the present name for what was originally called the 'European Economic Community' (EEC): see below.
This abbreviation refers either to the 'European Community' or to the 'European Commission'.
Is the politically independent institution that represents and upholds the interests of the European Union as a whole. It proposes legislation, policies and programmes of action and it is responsible for implementing the decisions of Parliament and the Council.
The European Parliament advises the European Commission and reviews all legislative proposals. It consists of representatives chosen by the Member States’ citizens.
This abbreviation refers to the European Economic Area – which consists of the European Union and all the EFTA countries except Switzerland. The EEA Agreement, which entered into force on 1 January 1994, enables Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to enjoy the benefits of the EU's single market without the full privileges and responsibilities of EU membership.
This is the abbreviation for the European Economic Community – one of three European Communities set up in 1957 to bring about economic integration in Europe. There were originally six member countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 1993, when the Treaty of Maastricht came into force, the EEC was re-named the European Community (EC) and it forms the basis of today's European Union.
Evaluation of the gained results with respect to the success of reaching the objective of a project and assessment of how the assumptions affected the outcome of the project.
Achieving the results with an acceptable (reasonable) cost. For example, the success in transforming the means and activities into results and the quality of these gained results.
This is the abbreviation for the European Free Trade Association – an organization founded in 1960 to promote free trade in goods amongst its member states. There were originally seven EFTA countries: Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (UK). Finland joined in 1961, Iceland in 1970, and Liechtenstein in 1991. In 1973, Denmark and the UK left EFTA and joined the EEC . They were followed by Portugal in 1986, and by Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995. Today the EFTA members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
This is an arrangement whereby a group of EU countries (there must be at least eight of them) can work together in a particular field even if the other EU countries are unable or unwilling to join in at this stage. The outsiders must, however, be free to join in later if they wish.
The European Union currently has 27 Member States. In addition to the first six Member States — Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — 21 countries have acceded to the Union. These are: 1973: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom; 1981: Greece; 1986: Spain and Portugal; 1995: Austria, Finland and Sweden; the fifth enlargement of 2004 and 2007: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, then Bulgaria and Romania. Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey have the status of candidate countries. Accession negotiations with Croatia and Turkey opened on 3 October 2005. The countries of the Western Balkans which are engaged in the stabilisation and association process have the status of potential candidate countries. Apart from Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which are candidate countries, these are Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, including Kosovo, as defined by UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
This is not really eurojargon. Named after the great Renaissance scholar, it is an EU-supported education programme that began in 1987. By 2007, two million students will have studied in another country thanks to Erasmus. From 2004, a new programme, Erasmus Mundus, is spending more than €40 million annually on promoting Masters Courses offered by a consortium of at least three universities in at least three different European countries. Scholarships to take these courses are available to students from any country.
This is a Commission service, set up in 1973, which measures and analyses trends in public opinion in all the member states and in the candidate countries. Knowing what the general public thinks is important in helping the European Commission draft its legislative proposals, take decisions and evaluate its work. Eurobarometer uses both opinion polls and focus groups. Its surveys lead to the publication of around 100 reports every year.For further information go to the Eurobarometer website.
The term “Eurocrats” (a pun on the word “bureaucrats”) refers to the many thousands of EU citizens who work for the European institutions (Parliament, the Council, the Commission, etc.).
This is an unofficial nickname for what is officially called “the euro area” - also often referred to as “the euro zone”. This area consists of the EU member states that have adopted the euro as their currency. So far the countries involved are Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
This is not really eurojargon. It is the Latin name for Europe, and it is also the name of the European Union's official website. This contains a wealth of useful information about the EU, regularly updated, and it is available in all the official languages of the EU.
Executive authority of the European Union. It forms the policies of the European Union and implements programmes and policies within the framework of EU’s Acquis Communitaire and budget.
In the 1950s, six European countries decided to pool their economic resources and set up a system of joint decision-making on economic issues. To do so, they formed three organizations: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), the European Economic Community (EEC). These three communities – collectively known as the 'European communities' – formed the basis of what is today the European Union. The EEC soon became by far the most important of the three and was eventually renamed simply 'the European Community' (EC).EC decisions are taken using the 'Community method' , which involves the EU institutions. This covers everything the EU does except for those things that are decided purely by agreement between governments.
A body formed by the heads of state or government of Member States. Convenes at least twice a year to determine the major guidelines for the EU’s future development.
This means building unity between European countries and peoples. Within the European Union it means that countries pool their resources and take many decisions jointly. This joint decision-making takes place through interaction between the EU institutions (the Parliament, the Council, the Commission, etc.).
Every year or two, the EU or the Council of Europe may draw public attention to a particular European issue by organising a series of special events in connection with it.
It was on 9 May 1950 that Robert Schuman (then French Foreign Minister) made his famous speech proposing European integration as the way to secure peace and build prosperity in post-war Europe. His proposals laid the foundations for what is now the European Union, so 9 May is celebrated annually as the EU's birthday. European Parliament The European Parliament advises the European Commission and reviews all legislative proposals. It consists of representatives chosen by the Member States’ citizens.
This term is often used to mean a person who is opposed to European integration or who is 'sceptical' of the EU and its aims.
A committee made up of an odd number of members (at least three) with the necessary technical and administrative expertise to give an informed opinion on tenders or grant applications.
A person engaged by a contractor to provide the expertise required for the proper performance of a contract.
The EuropeAid Co-operation Office is a Commission department, created in 2001 as part of the reform of external aid management. EuropeAid manages the external aid instruments financed out of the budget of the European Communities and by the European Development Fund. The office manages every stage of the cycle of projects that form part of the activities of the Directorate-General for External Relations and of the Directorate-General for Development. Pre-accession programmes are not managed by EuropeAid, however, but by the Directorate-General for Enlargement.
Periodical assessment of a project’s efficiency, effectiveness, impact, sustainability and suitability within the framework of pre-determined objectives. Evaluation is an independent examination of a project’s history, objectives, results, activities and utilized means in order to gain lessons to help make future decisions.
This is the sixth and final stage of a project cycle in which the project is evaluated from the viewpoint of its objectives and the lessons gained in order to plan future activities.
The process of verification of the correct applications of EU rules on EU funds management (from tendering to contracting) by the EC Delegation.
Replaces the ex-ante approval; the European Commission checks randomly the correct implementation of EU rules on EU funds management, after the funds have already been contracted and/or paid to beneficiaries.
