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  • Glossary contains some 220 terms

Glossary contains some 220 terms

About the glossary

The following glossary contains some 220 terms relating to European integration and the institutions and activities of the EU. It is updated regularly and includes all the changes brought about by the Treaty of Nice as well as the changes provided for in the European Constitution currently being ratified.

The definitions explain how the individual terms have evolved and provide references to the Treaties, if necessary. Historical background, how the institutions work, what the procedures are, what areas are covered by a Community policy - the answers to these questions and many others can be found by following these links.

The definitions are available in the eleven languages which were the official languages of the European Union before 1 May 2004 (Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish). The official languages of the ten new Member States (Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovenian and Slovak) will be added as and when resources allow. Read more on the language policy of Europa

The unofficial terminology used on a daily basis by the media and EU officials can be found on the page devoted to Eurojargon.

Read more about the glossery