Eurojargon
Jargon is a disease that afflicts the EU as it does all big bureaucracies. Translating the Euro-speak into a language that citizens can understand often involves cutting corners and sacrificing accuracy for intelligibility.
The EU has made a stab at drafting a ‘plain language guide to Brussels jargon’. However the sometimes long-winded explanations are not snappy enough for journalists to use in 500-600 word articles.
The following is an attempt at a journalists’ EU dictionary. Often, institutions have been replaced by people, as readers tend to relate more to the latter than the former.
- A-point Decision to be rubber-stamped by the Council
- Cabinet Private office
- Candidate countries EU applicants, would-be members
- Chef de cabinet Head of office, chief of staff
- Co-decision Jointly decided by MEPs and EU governments
- Cohesion Fund Aid for the EU’s poorest countries
- College Commissioners EU commissioners
- Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) EU farm aid/ subsidies
- Communication Policy paper
- Conciliation Committee Head-to-head talks between MEPs and EU governments
- COREPER EU ambassadors
- Council of Ministers EU governments/ministers
- Directive/Regulation EU law/regulation
- Directorate General Commission department
- Ecofin EU finance ministers
- Enhanced cooperation Pick and choose/à la carte Europe
- European Parliament EU assembly, Members of the European Parliament, MEPs
- EU's High Representative EU foreign policy chief
- European Commission EU executive, EU officials/civil servants, Eurocrats
- European Commissioner for Trade EU trade chief/ top official
- European Council EU summit, EU leaders/heads of state
- European Court of Justice EU court, EU judges
- Europol EU’s law enforcement agency
- Eurosat EU’s statistical arm
- EU treaty EU rulebook/charter
- Fonctionnaire EU official
- General Affairs Council EU foreign ministers
- Green paper Discussion paper
- Independence/Democracy (INDEM) Euro-sceptics
- Intergovernmental Conference/IGC EU treaty talks
- JAI/JHA ministerial Justice and interior/justice and home affairs ministers
- MEP's Euro-deputies, EU legislators/lawmakers, Euro-MPs
- OLAF EU’s anti-fraud office
- Permanent Representation Embassy
- Plenary session Full meeting of the European Parliament
- Stagier Trainee, intern
