European integration is growing more complicated by the day. This glossary explains the meaning of some of the more important words and phrases.

If you have any additions or amendments to suggest to the definitions or the links, please e-mail them to glossary@federalunion.org.uk.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

E

ECOFIN - the council of finance ministers, which takes decisions on economic policy within the EU.

ECOSOC - the Economic and Social Committee, which represents business and trade unions and is consulted on legislation. (more information)

ECSC - the European Coal and Steel Community, founded in 1951 and a precursor to the EEC. (more information)

EEA - the European Economic Area, for non-members of the European Union that want to be part of the single market. It includes Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. They have no say in the decisions taken by the EU, even though they are affected by them. (more information)

EEC - European Economic Community, an old name for the European Union.

EFTA - the European Free Trade Association, which Britain left in 1973 in order to join the EEC. These days, it includes the EEA countries plus Switzerland. (more information)

EMU - Economic and Monetary Union, including a single currency. It was created by the Maastricht Treaty, and started in 1999. It includes only those member states that met the convergence criteria. (more information)

enhanced cooperation - the idea that a group of member states might develop closer integration for a policy area within the EU institutions. Article I-43 in the constitutional treaty sets out how this might happen. (more information)

enlargement - the fact that the European Union has just increased from 15 member states to 25 and is set to grow further. (more information)

ERM - the Exchange Rate Mechanism, which links together the currencies of some European Union member states that have not yet joined the euro.

escalator clause - another term for passerelle.

ESDI - European Security and Defence Identity, resulting from increased cooperation on military matters between the European Union member states. Some people fear it might become a rival to NATO; others hope it will replace it.

ethnic nationalism - see nationalism.

euro - the new currency of the EU, which has replaced the national currencies of twelve member states. (more information)

Euro-12 - a sub-committee of ECOFIN, representing the twelve countries in the eurozone.

Europe à la carte - see variable geometry.

European Central Bank - an institution of the European Union that supervises the single currency. It is independent of the governments, and reports regularly to ECOFIN and the European Parliament. (more information)

European Commission - the equivalent of the government in a member state. It has 25 Commissioners. It is not a huge bureaucracy: it has fewer staff than a typical local authority in Britain. (more information)

European Community - an old name for the European Union, although strictly speaking the name can still be used to describe the pillar of the European Union that deals with commercial, social and environmental matters.

European Council - a meeting of the heads of the national governments, which is held normally four times a year. Disagreements at the Council of Ministers are sometimes referred here. (more information)

European Court of Human Rights - part of the Council of Europe based in Strasbourg, which rules on issues of human rights and civil liberties. Its judgments are not binding on national governments, although they are almost always accepted. Not to be confused with the European Court of Justice. (more information)

European Court of Justice - the supreme court of the European Union, based in Luxembourg, which resolves disputes about the European treaties and European law. Its judgments are binding. (more information)

European elections - held every five years to elect the European Parliament, they are the only international elections in the world. The next elections will be held in June 2009, and the European political parties may propose candidates for President of the Commission. (more information)

European integration - the means by which the rule of law and international democracy (i.e. federalism) have come to replace war and the threat of force in Europe.

European law - overrides national law in certain areas but not others. The areas in which it takes precedence are laid down by the treaties. (more information)

European Parliament - the part of the European Union directly elected by the citizens. A unique institution, it is the only supranational directly-elected parliament in the world. (more information)

European political parties - they gather together the national political parties to organise them within the European Parliament. They might use the next European elections to propose candidates for President of the European Commission.

European Rapid Reaction Force - a proposed force of around 60,000 soldiers drawn from national armed forces and able to respond rapidly to international incidents where NATO is not engaged - the first practical expression of the ESDI.

European Union - the most democratic and effective form of international cooperation in the world.

Europol - a body that coordinates international police cooperation within the EU. It is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands. (more information)

eurosceptics - people who oppose the continuation of the process of European integration. See also anti-Europeans.

eurozone - the twelve member states that have joined the single currency.