Archives: Glossary

A ‘Commission Delegation’ is a European Union institutions’ embassy in a non-EU country. There are around 140 EU Delegations around the world. A similar institution in an EU Member State is called a ‘European Commission Representation’.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the eurozone, the group of European Union (EU) member states that have adopted the euro as their common currency. The ECB is responsible for managing the monetary policy of the eurozone with the primary objective of maintaining price stability, which is essential for economic growth…

The ‘European Commission’ (‘Commission Européenne’ in French) is the executive arm among the main EU institutions, often likened to an EU “superministry”.

The ‘European Council’ (EUCO) is an institution of the European Union, that is composed of the heads of government (prime ministers) of EU member states, the President of the European Council, and the President of the European Commission. The European Council defines the general political directions and priorities of the European Union. The European Council…

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an agency of the European Union that promotes and facilitates integration between member states within the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The EDA was established on 12 July 2004 and is located in Brussels, Belgium.

EEAS is the diplomatic service and foreign and defense “ministry” of the European Union (EU).

The European Institute for Gender Equality is an agency of the European Union that was established to contribute to and strengthen the promotion of gender equality, including gender mainstreaming, in all EU policies and the resulting national policies, and the fight against discrimination based on sex, as well as to raise EU citizens’ awareness of…

The ‘European Parliament’ is the legislative arm among EU institutions and the second largest employer of EU staff, following the European Commission. In 2021 the European Parliament employed 7944 staff members. The European Parliament has offices in Brussels, Belgium, Strasbourg, France, and smaller administrative offices in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. If you are employed by the…

The European Parliament Positive Action Programme is a special support action to social groups underrepresented among the institution’s staff – women, persons with disabilities, persons from ethnic and linguistic minorities. Succesful candidates are hired for a year as ‘contract agent’ and the programme can serve as a springboard to longer-term and even permanent employment. Read…

The European Schools are not part of the “EU system” of institutions, however, they are jointly controlled by the European Commission and the EU member states. Sending their their children to a European School (Schola Europaea) is one of the benefits for staff of EU institutions.

The ‘agencies’ are specialized EU institutions that address a well-defined issue in a particular legal or policy field, but they are not “policy makers” as this function exclusively rests with the European Commission. There are several typologies of EU agencies. “Up-stream” and “downstream” agencies. The first deal with research and other knowledge production activities. The…

Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union, in charge of the European Statistical System. It is both a data-collecting institution, but also a statistics standard-setting and harmonization body for EU Member States, European Free Trade Area countries, and EU candidate countries. Contrary to popular perception, Eurostat is not a separate EU institution, but…