Reach & Impact Jargon Buster

The Reach and Impact project knows that the world of ERDF, Structural Funds, European Funding and the European Union in general is full of initials, abbreviations and language that may be new to the voluntary and community sector.

This is why we have set up this online jargon buster. If you have a term, abbreviation or set of initials that you would like explaining or including in this jargon buster email information@one-em.org.uk.

For further resources related to ERDF funding and One East Midlands Reach & Impact project visit www.oneeastmidlands.org.uk/reachandimpactresources.

For further information about the Reach & Impact project visit www.oneeastmidlands.org.uk/reachandimpact.

To access One East Midlands other jargon busters, which include specific jargon busters relating to the VCS, police and crime, and health and social care, as well as a list of a list of Government departments, ministerial posts and other parliamentary information, click here.

Glossary  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  Acronyms

Glossary

Accession States

Accession States are countries which are in the process of joining the EU.

Acquis Communautaire

This is the collective term for the entire body of European law, including treaties, directives and regulations of the various European institutions.

Additionality

The principle whereby Structural Funds should complement the contributions of the Member State rather than replacing or substituting normal public expenditure.

Ambient Assisted Living

The Ambient Assisted Living join programme is a funding activity that aims to create better condition of life for the older adults and to strengthen the industrial opportunities in Europe through the use of information and communication technology.

Amsterdam Treaty

The 1997 Amsterdam Treaty was the third major amendment to the 1957 Treaty of Rome, and addressed certain issues raised in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty. The most important changes which came out of the Amsterdam Treaty were to facilitate the enlargement of the EU to include 10 new Member States, to create open borders between 12 of the Member States, and to expand the role of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

Annual Work Programme

An Annual Work Programme is a document issued by the EC to outline the working plan for the current financial year. It covers annual priorities for projects delivered under specific funding programmes and specifies budget distribution for that year.

Anti-trust

The EU aims to guarantee fair and free competition in the single market and to ensure that companies compete rather than collude. So EU rules prohibit agreements that restrict competition and abuses by firms who hold a dominant position on the market. Rules of this kind are known as anti-trust legislation. The EU has considerable powers to prohibit anti-competitive activities, and to impose fines on firms found guilty of anti-competitive conduct.

Applicant Organisation

Any legal entity (e.g. individual, public, private or third sector organisation) submitting a proposal under an EU funding programme.

Audit

An inspection of the systems and financial records of a project to confirm the accuracy, reliability and eligibility of funding claims.

Beneficiary

A moral person or entity (public, semi-public or private) that is responsible for the coordination and management of an EU funded project, including the monies’ repartition. The beneficiary signs the funding contract and reports directly to the EC.

Bridging the Opportunity Gap

Bridging the Gap is a mobility project aimed at sustainable development, funded by the EC. The project’s educational and training activities involve a consortium of seven European universities, twelve Asian universities and three associate networks coordinated by the University of Trento, Italy. The EU funds provide undergraduate (bachelor), graduate (master) and doctoral students, but also postdoctoral researchers and academic staff members with Mobility scholarships and Air tickets to perform study and research activity at one of the partnered universities. Tuition and insurance fees are also covered by the programme.

Budget of the European Union

The EU has a budget from which it pays for its activities. This budget is composed of payments from all European Member States, with the majority coming from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. National payments are divided into three parts: a fixed percentage of gross national income (GNI), customs duties collected on behalf of the EU, and a percentage of VAT. The EU budget is officially referred to as the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and is decided for seven year periods. The budget for the period 2007-13 was €864.3billion (at 2004) prices and equal to 1.05% of gross national incomes. Negotiations for the 2014-20 budget are currently in process.

Call for Proposals

Departments within the EC will regularly issue calls for proposals, as part of the process by which grant funding is awarded to projects. Calls for proposals should be thought of as an official invitation from the EC department to receive proposals for projects. The call documents will detail the general objectives and specific priorities of the funding programme. These will guide potential applications as to the type of activities that projects should carry out. Each call document will give details of the budget allocated to the call, deadlines, submission procedures and eligibility criteria. Some EU funding programmes issue one call for proposals per year while others will issue multiple calls for more specific projects.

Checklist

Document usually found at the back of a call for proposals. It contains a list of all the documents required complete an application / call for proposals.

Codecision

EU decision making process whereby the Council of the European Union and the Parliament share legislative power equally.

Co-financing

Refers to a situation where a proportion of the financing of a scheme / project / programme is obtained from an EU source of funding.

Cohesion Fund

A financing mechanisms established by the Maastricht Treaty to finance transport and environmental infrastructure projects in the EU.

Comitology

This is more correctly known as committee procedure. It describes a process by which the EC, when implementing EU law, has to consult special advisory committees of experts from the EU countries.

Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is an advisory body that allows local and regional authorities to make their voices heard in the decision-making process of the EU. It is composed of 344 representatives from local and regional authorities, appointed by the Council for four years. The CoR is consulted by the Council, the Parliament and the EC in areas that affect local or regional interests. Since the Treaty of Amsterdam (May 1999), the CoR must be consulted in a large number of areas, including economic and social cohesion; employment; social policy; trans-European transport networks; energy and telecommunications; education and youth; vocational training; culture; the environment; public health and transport. The CoR may also draw up opinions on its own initiatives.

Common Agricultural Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was first introduced in 1960 to ensure that Europe had secure food sources at affordable prices. The EC began reviewing the CAP in 1999 and the EU agreed further reforms in 2013, with the emphasis on high-quality farm produce and animal-friendly farming practices that respect the environment and preserve the countryside. The EU plans to cut back on direct subsidies to farms redressing the balance between EU agricultural markets and those of the developing world.

Common Position

This is the result of a first reading by the Council of Ministers of a legislative proposal under the codecision and cooperation procedures. The common position should take into account the positions of the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee, and any revisions proposed by the EC. The common position is then transmitted to the other institutions for their second readings.

Communication

A Communication is published by EC and sets out the background and context to a given policy area. It may indicate the EC’s intended course of action in this area. It does not constitute a legislative proposal, but it can be published simultaneously with a legislative proposal.

Community Research and Development Information Service

The Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) is an information space devoted to European research and development activities and technology transfer. Its main aims are to:

  • Facilitate participation in European research and take-up activities.
  • Improve exploitation of research results with an emphasis on sectors crucial to Europe's competitiveness.
  • Promote the diffusion of knowledge fostering the technology take-up to enterprises and the societal acceptance of new technology.

Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme

The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) is an initiative of the EC, which ran from 2007 to 2013. The programme supports measures to strengthen competitiveness of businesses and improve innovation capacity in the EU, with a focus on providing finance and business support to small and medium enterprises. It also encourages the use of information technologies and renewable energy sources. The programme has a total budget of €3.621billion and is divided into three operational programmes: The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP); The Information Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP); and The Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE).

Conciliation Committee

Under the codecision procedure between European Council and the European Parliament, a Conciliation Committee can be set up. Any disagreement between the two institutions on the outcome of a decision taken under the codecision procedure is referred to the Committee with a view to reaching an agreement acceptable to both sides. To be adopted, it then needs to be approved within six weeks by a qualified majority in the Council and by an absolute majority of MEPs.

Consortium

Groups of partners delivering a project funded by the EC sign a consortium agreement, regulating the nature of the partnership, including intellectual property rights issues when dealing with research projects.

Contracting Organisation

The applicant or applicant organisation becomes a contracting organisation if its proposal has been accepted and the grant agreement has been signed.

Convergence Objective

The convergence objective aims to stimulate growth and employment in the least developed regions of the EU. The eligibility for convergence object is determined by NUTS 2 regions whose per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is less than 7% of EU average.

Coreper

The Permanent Representatives Committee or Coreper (Article 2076 of the Treaty establishing the European Community) is responsible for preparing the work of the Council of the EU. It consists of the Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Permanent Representatives) and is chaired by the Member State, which holds the Council Presidency. Coreper occupies a pivotal position in the Community decision-making system, in which it is both a forum for dialogue (among the Permanent Representatives and between them and their respective national capitals) and a means of political control, guidance and supervision of the work of the expert groups.

Council of the European Union

Formerly known as the Council of Ministers, this institution consists of government ministers from all the EU countries. The Council meets regularly to take detailed decisions and to pass European laws. The Council of Europe is not an EU institution. It is an intergovernmental organisation based in Strasbourg and it aims, amongst other things, to protect human rights, to promote Europe’s cultural diversity and to combat social problems such as xenophobia and intolerance. The Council of Europe was set in 1949 and one of its early achievements was to draw up the European Convention on Human Rights. The Council simultaneously established the European Court of Human Rights to enable citizens to directly exercise their human rights as laid down in the Convention.

Cultural Capitals

Each year a different European city is designed as the European Capital of Culture. The aim is to publicise and celebrate the cultural achievements and charms of this city and so make European citizens more aware of the rich heritage they share.

De-minimis Regulation

The De-minimis Regulation is an instrument that allows Member States to grant subsidies of limited amount to undertakings and particularly small and medium sized enterprises very rapidly, without notification to the EC and entering into any administrative procedure. The rule is based on the assumption that, in the vast majority of cases, subsidies of a small amount do not have an effect on trade and competition between Member States and therefore do not constitute state aid pursuant to Article 87(1) EC. The article states that unless otherwise provided in the Treaty, any aid granted by a Member State or through State resources in any form whatsoever, which distorts or threatens to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods shall, insofar as it affects trade between Member States, be incompatible with the common market.

Directorate Generals

Directorate Generals (DGs) cover all areas of EU policy. They are structured hierarchically on a departmental basis similar to a national ministry. DGs act in response to initiatives coming either from the EC, the Council and/or Parliament.

Enterprise Europe Network

The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is a consortium of 600 partner organisations in more than 40 countries, promoting competitiveness and innovation at local level in Europe and beyond.

Environmental Action Plan

The sixth Environmental Action Plan (EAP) set out the framework for environmental policy-making in the European Union for the period 2002-12 and outlined actions that needed to be taken to achieve them. These actions were based around four priority areas: Climate change; Nature and biodiversity; Environment and health; and Natural resources and waste.

ERDF

The objective of the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) is to help reinforce economic and social cohesion by redressing regional imbalances. This is achieved by supporting the development and structural adjustment of regional economics, including the conversion of declining industry regions.

ESF

This fund is the main financial instrument of the European Community social policy, providing assistance for vocational training, re-training and job creation schemes. Three quarters of the fund goes towards combating youth unemployment.

Eurobarometer

This is an EC service, set up in 1973, which measures and analyses trends in public opinion in all the member states and in the candidate countries.

European Business and Innovation Centre Network

The European Business & Innovation Centre Network was set up in 1984 as a joint initiative of the EC European industry leaders and the first pioneering Business and Innovation Centres. EBN is the leading non-governmental pan-European network bringing together Business & Innovation Centres (BICs) and similar organisations including incubators, innovation and entrepreneurship centres across Europe.

European Commission

Leading the European Commission (EC) are 27 Commissioners, persons who have often either sat in national parliaments or the European Parliament, or who have held high office in their home countries. The EU heads of state or government, meeting in the European Council, choose the President of the EC. The remaining Commissioners are nominated by the governments of the 27 EU member states in consultation with the new EC President. The President and other Commissioners must be approved by the European Parliament.

European Council

Meetings of Heads of State and Government (i.e. presidents and prime ministers) of all the EU countries, plus the Presidency of the EC. The European Council meets, in principle, four times a year to agree overall EU policy and to review progress. It is the highest-level policy-making body in the EU, which is why its meetings are often called summits.

European Institute of Innovation and Technology

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a body of the EU, whose mission is to increase European sustainable growth and competitiveness by reinforcing the innovation capacity of the EU.

European Parliament

The European Parliament’s (EP) role is threefold:

  • Legislative – originally given only a consultative role, the EP now has the power to amend and adopt legislation.
  • Budgetary – the EP approves the EU’s annual budget. It can propose modifications and amendments to the EC’s initial proposals and positions taken by the EU member states in the Council. In extraordinary circumstances, the EP may even vote to reject the budget. The President of the Parliament signs the budget into law.
  • Supervision – the EP exercises overall political supervision over the manner in which the EU’s policies are conducted.

The current Parliament consists of 732 members from approximately 100 political parties, organised in eight political groups. Most of the work of the EP is conducted in its 20 committees covering all areas of the EU’s activities from agriculture to common foreign and security policy.

European Research Area

The European Research Area (ERA) is a unified research area open to the world based on the internal market, in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely. Through ERA, the EU and its Member States aim to strengthen their scientific and technological bases, their competitiveness and their capacity to collectively address grand challenges.

European Regions Research and Innovation Network

The European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) is a network of more than 90 EU regions, which facilitates knowledge exchange, joint action and project partnerships with the aim to strengthen its member region's research and innovation capacities and enhance their success in EU programmes. It also aspires to influence EU policies in order to make them respond better to the needs of European regions and, to this end, engages in debate with EU institutions and participates in EU policy consultations.

European Science Foundation

The European Science Foundation (ESF) aims to achieve scientific excellence at a European level.

European Social Fund

The European Social Fund (ESF) is the EU’s main financial instrument for supporting employment in the member states of the EU as well as promoting economic and social cohesion. ESF spending amounts to around 10% of the EU's total budget. The particular aim of ESF spending is to support the creation of more and better jobs in the EU, which it does by co-funding national, regional and local projects that improve the levels of employment, the quality of jobs, and the inclusiveness of the labour market in the Member States and their regions.

European Technology Platforms

European Technology Platforms (ETPs) provide a framework for stakeholders, led by industry, to define research priorities and action plans on a number of technological areas where achieving EU growth, competitiveness and sustainability requires major research and technological advances in the medium to long term. The European Commission does not own or manage ETPs, however it supported their creation and remains engaged with them in structural dialogue on research issues.

European Year of…

Every year the EU or the Council of Europe will draw public attention to a particular European issue by organising a series of events throughout a year in connection with it.

Ex-ante Evaluation

Evaluation designed to provide an independent assessment of overall strategies and proposals for European funds.

Ex-post Evaluation

Evaluation designed to examine the utilisation of resources and the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of expenditure.

Framework Programme

Framework programmes (FPs) have been the main financial tools through which the EU supports research and development activities covering almost all scientific disciplines. FPs are proposed by the EU and adopted by the European Council and the European Parliament following a co-decision procedure. FP7, which expires in 2013, is designed to build on the achievements of its predecessor towards the creation of the European Research Area and carry it further towards the development of the knowledge economy and society in Europe.

Future and Emerging Technologies

Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) is the ICT incubator and pathfinder for new ideas and themes for long-term research in the area of ICT. Its mission is to promote high risk research, offset by potential breakthrough with high technological or societal impact.

Information Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme

The Information Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) aims to stimulate innovation and competitiveness through the wider uptake and best use of ICT by citizens, governments and businesses.

Intergovernmental Conference

The Intergovernmental Conference at which EU Members States’ governments come together to amend the European Treaties.

INTERREG

Cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation intended to encourage the harmonious, balanced and sustainable development of the whole of the European Community area.

Joint Research Centre

The Joint Research Centre (JRC), is a Directorate-General of the European Commission providing independent scientific and technical advice to the European Commission to support a wide range of EU policies. The JRC has seven scientific institutes, located at six different sites in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, with a wide range of laboratories and research facilities. Its headquarters are located in Brussels.

Life Long Learning Programme

The European C’s Lifelong Learning Programme (LLL) enables people at all stages of their lives to take part in stimulating learning experiences, as well as helping to develop the education and training sector across Europe. With a budget of nearly €7billion for 2007 to 2013, the programme funds a range of actions including exchanges, study visits and networking activities. Projects are aimed at students, teachers, trainers and all others involved in education and training.

LIFE Plus

LIFE Plus is the only EU funding programme entirely dedicated to supporting environment-related projects, with a budget of €2.143billion for its seven year duration (2007-2013). LIFE Plus is a policy support tool to fund projects that implement the EU’s range of environmental policies, in particular the four key priorities of the EU's sixth Environmental Action Programme and its seven associated thematic strategies. The EC aims to achieve complementarily between LIFE Plus and other sources of funding for the environment, which means it will only be used to fund environment related projects that are not eligible for funding from any other EU programme.

Lisbon Strategy

The Lisbon Strategy was set out in March 2000 when EU Heads of State and Government agreed on a new goal to become, within a decade, the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. A detailed strategy covers areas including research, education, training, internet access, online business and social protection systems. The strategy was re-launched in March 2005 with a focus on growth and employment, simplification and national ownership via national action plans.

Managing Authority

Public or private authority or body at the national, regional or local level of the Member State, or the Member State itself, managing the assistance received from the Structural Funds. If the Member State designates a managing authority other than itself, it shall determine all the modalities of its relationship with the managing authority. Modalities also need to be agreed for the relationship between the managing authority and the EC.

Match Funding

European funds usually meet only a proportion of the costs of any project. The remainder of the costs therefore has to be match funded from other resources, which can be from both the public and private sector.

Member States

Groups of states forming the EU, including the six founding states: Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands (1957). Today the EU comprises 27 Member States. There were six different phrases of accession:

  • Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom (1973)
  • Greece (1981)
  • Spain and Portugal (1986)
  • Austria, Finland and Sweden (1995)
  • Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (2004)
  • Bulgaria and Romania (2007)

MEP

There are currently 785 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament), who have been elected to the European Parliament, 78 of whom come from the UK. The next European elections will take place in June 2014.

Mid-Term Evaluation

Evaluation designed to examine the initial results of EU funding, the extent to which targets are being attained, and to make proposals on any changes that may be required.

Monitoring Committee

Responsible for monitoring and supervision of expenditure under the NSRF. Each Operational Programme has a specific has a specific Monitoring Committee, and there is a Monitoring Committee for the NSRF as a whole. Monitoring Committees represent a broad range of interests from Government Departments, Regional Assemblies and Authorities, and Public Beneficiary Bodies, to social partners, environmental and equality issues and others.

National Contact Point

The role of the National Contact Points (NCPs) for each Member State varies, however the guiding principles agreed by all countries are that NCPs provide guidance on choosing thematic priorities and instruments, advice on administrative procedures and contractual issues, training and assistance on proposal writing, distribution of documentation, and assistance in partner search.

Network of Excellence

Networks of Excellence (NoEs) are designed to strengthen scientific and technological excellence on a particular research topic through the durable integration of the research capacities of the participants. They aim to overcome the fragmentation of European research by gathering the critical mass of resources and the expertise needed to provide European leadership. NoEs also have to spread excellence beyond the boundaries of its partnership.

Nomenclature Units for Territorial Statistics

Nomenclature Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) are a system of classification of regions across the EU used by the EC. For the purpose of Structural Funds, the most important are the NUTS II and NUTS III regions.

Official Journal of the European Union

The official publication of the EU gathering the Council’s decisions regarding programmes and information on the next calls for proposals. It contains three sections: L (Legislation), C (Information and Communications) and S (Supplement).

OLAF

The European Anti-Fraud Office has been responsible since 1 June 1999 for combating fraud against the EU budget. Created by a EC Decision, OLAF replaced the Anti-Fraud Coordination Unit (UCLAF), created in 1988 with a mandate limited to the EC. The new Office investigates the management and financing of all the EU’s institutions and bodies with absolute operational independence.

Parliamentary Committees

Various permanent and thematic bodies within the European Parliament, which are responsible for researching and considering particular issues. The members of these institutions are elected according to their political affiliation and expertise.

Partners

All legal persons / entities participating in the submission of a project’s proposal. Partners must sign a partnership declaration by which they agree to contribute to the project, as described in the grant’s application.

Presidency of the European Union

The Presidency of the Council of the EU is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the EU, the upper house of the EU’s legislature. It rotates between the Member States of the EU every six months. The presidency is not an individual, but rather the position is held by a national government. The presidency’s function is to chair meetings of the Council, determine its agendas, set a work programme and facilitate dialogue both at Council meetings and with other EU institutions. Three successive presidencies, known as presidency trios, cooperate for an 18-month period to provide continuity by sharing common political programmes.

Programming Period

Structural Fund expenditure is based on multi-annual programmes covering specific periods. The current programming period is 2007-13.

PROGRESS

The aim of the future PROGRESS programme is to provide financial support for the implementation of the EU’s objectives in employment and social affairs. It will contribute to the achievement of the Lisbon Strategy objectives. PROGRESS (2007-2013) has a total budget of €743million, and will work alongside the ESF (European Social Fund) financial analysis, mutual learning, awareness-raising and dissemination activities. The programme is divided into five sections corresponding to the five main fields of activity: employment, social protection and inclusion, working conditions, diversity and combating discrimination, and equality between women and men.

Qualified Majority Voting

A qualified majority is the number of votes required in the Council for a decision to be adopted when issues are being debated. After 1 January 2007, following enlargement of the EU, the qualified majority went up to 255 votes out of a total of 345, representing a majority of the Member States. A Member State may request verification that the qualified majority represents at least 62% of the total population of the EU. If this is not the case, the decision is not adopted. As the various institutional reforms have taken effect, qualified majority voting (QMV) has replaced unanimous voting, which is less effective for developing an operational community policy (veto risk).

Seventh Framework Programme

The seventh generation of the EU Framework Programme (FP7), which provides the main EU funding for research, technological development and demonstration activities.

Social Partners

Representing the two sides of industry, employers and workers, at EU level they are represented by three main organisations:

  • The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) - representing workers
  • The Union of Industries of the European Community (UNICE) - representing private service employers
  • The European Centre for Public Enterprise (CEEP) - representing public sector employers.

The EC consults them when drawing up proposals for social and employment legislation.

State Aid

State aid refers to forms of assistance from a public body or publicly-funded body, given to undertakings engaged in economic commercial activity on a selective basis, with the potential to distort competition and affect trade between member states of the EU.

State Aid Rules

The state aid rules are designed to regulate subsidies and to stop public authorities from distorting the markets. They also provide a framework and discipline to assist public authorities to ensure that scarce public resources are targeted where they are most required in an efficient and effective manner. 

Structural Funds

The structural funds, the collective name given to ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Funds, are used to finance European Community structural aid, mainly to the poorer regions, in order to strengthen the EU’s economic and social cohesion thereby developing a single market across the EU. As well as their Structural Funds role, they have a general function in relation to the coordination of the provision of Public Services in the region.

Subsidiarity

The subsidiarity principle means that EU decisions must be taken as closely as possible to the citizen. It implies that the EU does not take action unless EU action is more effective than action taken at national, regional or local level.

Subsidies

Direct payment that is neither refundable nor of commercial nature. It is paid out by a public institution to support the implementation of a project that is involved in a political strategy.

Tenders Electronic Daily

Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) is the online version of the 'Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union', dedicated to European public procurement, which provides free access to business opportunities. It is updated five times a week with approximately 1,500 public procurement notices from the EU, the European Economic Area and beyond.

Transnational

This word is often used to describe cooperation between businesses or organisations based in more than one EU country. Part of the EU’s purpose is to encourage this transnational cooperation. The vast majority of EU funding programmes require a transnational element as a way of achieving cooperation between Member States.

Uninamity

When taking decisions on some issues, the Council of the EU has to be in unanimious agreement with all countries having to agree. Any disagreement, even by one single country, will block the decision. Uninamity rule now applies only in particularly sensitive areas including asylum, taxation and the common and foreign security policy. In most fields, decisions are now taken by qualified majority voting.

White Paper

The EC publishes white papers, which contain proposals of European Community actions in some areas. They sometimes follow Green Papers, which aim to launch consultation processes at the European level.

Zoning

For regionalised structural funds, European Community aid is attributed to final beneficiaries according to a map of eligible zones for the duration of the programmes.

 

Acronyms

 

AAL

Ambient Assisted Living

BIC

Business and Innovation Centre

BtOG

Bridging the Opportunity Gap

CAP

Common Agricultural Policy

CBA

Cost Benefit Analysis

CEBs

County Enterprise Boards

CEEC

Central and Eastern European Countries

CEEP

European Centre for Public Enterprise

CFSP

Common Foreign and Security Policy

CIP

Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme

CoR

Committee of the Regions

CORDIS

Community Research and Development Information Service

DG

Directorate-General of the European Commission

EAP

Environmental Action Plan

EBN

European Business and Innovation Centre Network

EC

European Commission

EEN

Enterprise Europe Network

EIP

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme

EIT

European Institute of Innovation and Technology

EP

European Parliament

ERA

European Research Area

ERDF

European Regional Development Fund

ERRIN

European Regions Research and Innovation Network

E SF

European Science Foundation

ESF

European Social Fund

ESRI

Economic & Social Research Institute

ETP

European Technology Platform

ETUC

European Trade Union Confederation

EU

European Union

FET

Future and Emerging Technologies

FP

Framework Programme

GDP

Gross Domestic Product

GNP

Gross National Product

ICT-PSP

Information Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme

IEE

Intelligent Energy Europe Programme

IGC

Intergovernmental Conference

IP

Integrated Projects

JRC

Joint Research Centre

LLL

Lifelong Learning Programme

MEP

Member of the European Parliament

MFF

Multi-Annual Financial Framework

NCP

National Contact Point

NoE

Network of Excellence

NUTS

Nomenclature Units for Territorial Statistics

QMV

Qualified Majority Voting

TED

Tenders Electronic Daily

UNICE

Union of Industries for the European Community