Summaries of EU legislation - Glossary

EUROPA > Summaries of EU legislation > Glossary.
The following glossary contains 233 terms relating to European integration and the institutions and activities of the EU.
The glossary is being updated given the recent signing of the Treaty of Lisbon. For more information on this glossary...
A
Abstention, constructive (positive abstention)
Accession criteria (Copenhagen criteria)
Accession negotiations
Accession of new Member States to the European Union
Accession partnership
Animal welfare
Antitrust control
Area of freedom, security and justice
Article 71 Committee (Title V of the TFEU)
Audiovisual
B
Broad economic policy guidelines (BEPG)
Budget
C
Candidate countries
Charter of Fundamental Rights
Citizenship of the Union
Citizens’ initiative
Civil society organisation
Classification of expenditure
Codecision procedure
Collective defence
Comitology
Committee of the Regions
Committees and working parties
Common agricultural policy (CAP)
Common commercial policy
Common fisheries policy
Common foreign and security policy (CFSP)
Common organisation of agricultural markets (COM)
Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)
Common transport policy
Community acquis
Community and intergovernmental methods
Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers
Community patent
Competition
Competitiveness
Composition of the European Commission
Concentric circles
Conciliation Committee
Confirmation of the European Commission
Consent procedure
Consolidation of legislation - formal/official
Consolidation of legislation - informal/declaratory
Consultation procedure
Consumer protection
Convergence criteria
Coreper
COREU (CORespondance EUropéenne)
Council of the European Union
Court
Court of Auditors
Court of Justice of the European Union
Culture
Customs union
D
Deepening
Democratic deficit
Development aid
Distribution of competences
Double majority
E
Economic, social and territorial cohesion
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
Economic policy
Education
Employment
Employment Committee
Energy
Enhanced cooperation
Enlargement
Enterprise policy
Environment
Environmental liability
Equal opportunities
Equal treatment for men and women
EU action (CFSP)
EU position (CFSP)
Eurojust
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
Europe 'à la carte'
European arrest warrant
European Central Bank (ECB)
European Commission
European Company
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
European Council
European Development Fund
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
European Employment Strategy (EES)
European External Action Service
European institutions
European Investment Bank (EIB)
European Judicial Network in criminal matters (EJN)
European legal instruments
European Parliament
European political parties
European powers
European Research Area (ERA)
European security and defence identity
European Union
European Union (EU) hierarchy of norms
European Union agencies
European Union law
Europol (European Police Office)
Excessive deficit procedure
F
Fight against drugs
Fight against fraud
Fight against organised crime
Fight against racism and xenophobia
Fight against terrorism
Financial perspective
Food safety
Free movement of persons (visas, asylum, immigration and other policies)
G
Galileo
General-interest services
Genetically modified organisms (GMO)
Globalisation of the economy
Governance
Green Paper
H
Hard core
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Humanitarian aid
Human rights
I
Information Society
Institutional balance
Intellectual property
Intergovernmental Conference (IGC)
Ioannina compromise
J
Judicial cooperation in civil matters
K
Kyoto Protocol
L
Laeken Declaration
Legal personality of the Union
Luxembourg compromise
M
'Multi-speed' Europe
Measures to combat money laundering
Mergers
Monetary policy
Monitoring the application of Community law
Mutual defence clause
N
'New-look' NATO
National parliaments
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
Natura 2000
Neighbourhood Policy
Non-discrimination (the principle of)
O 
OLAF (European Anti-fraud Office)
Ombudsman
Open method of coordination
Opting out
Outermost regions
Own resources
P
Parliamentary committees
Permanent structured cooperation
Petersberg tasks
Petitions
Pillars of the European Union
Police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters
Political and Security Committee (PSC)
Pre-accession assistance
Pre-accession strategy
Precautionary Principle
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
President of the European Commission
President of the European Council
Proportionality principle
Public health
Public procurement
Public service
Q
Qualified majority
R
REACH (regulatory framework for chemicals)
Recasting of legislation
Reinforced qualified majority
Research and development
Revision of the Treaties
Right of initiative
Rural development
S
Schengen (Agreement and Convention)
Screening
Services of general economic interest
Simplification of legislation
Single institutional framework
Small and medium-sized enterprises
Social dialogue
Social partners
Social policy
Social Policy Agreement
Solidarity clause
Specialised courts
Stabilisation and Association Process
Stability and Growth Pact
Standing Committee on Internal Security (COSI)
State aid
Statute for Members of the European Parliament
Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund
Subsidiarity
Subsidiary powers
Suspension clause
Sustainable development
T
TAIEX (Technical Assistance Information Exchange)
Taxation
Tax harmonisation
Telecommunications or Electronic communications
Television without frontiers
The European Union’s external responsibilities
Trans-European Networks (TEN)
Transparency (access to documents)
Transparency of Council proceedings
Treaties
Treaty of Amsterdam
Treaty of Nice
U
Unanimity
Uniform electoral procedure for the European Parliament
Universal service
V
'Variable-geometry' Europe
Vocational training
W
Weighting of votes in the Council
White Paper
Withdrawal clause
Y
Youth.