Welcome to the EUABC

Here you can find short explanations of most EU words and easy links to more info

The EUABC is an Internet dictionary providing concise explanations of terms used in the EU debate, and a lot of useful links. Its aim is also to inform people on the debate on the Lisbon Treaty and the future of Europe.

It includes many terms that relate to matters of political tension, controversy and debate. Federalists may find arguments and explanations both in favour of and against further European integration, just as Eurosceptics, EU-critics and Eurorealists may find their own arguments and the Federalist counter-arguments to their positions.

The content of this site is constantly updated in English, where you have the most complete edition. The other editions are NOT fully updated with the latest Lisbon Treaty.

In the English edition you will find a lot of new entries concerning the Lisbon Treaty, signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007, and the rejected EU Constitution, which was agreed by Heads of State on 18 June 2004. We also recommend you the Reader-Friendly edition of the Lisbon treaty and the rejected EU Constitution.

Now including

1. Detailed legal analysis by lawyer Klaus Heeger: I and II
2. From EU Constitution to the Lisbon Treaty
3. The Treaty of Lisbon: Implementing the Institutional Innovations
4. The Lisbon Treaty - The consolidated reader-friendly edition of the treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) as amended by the Treaty of Lisbon
5. The proposed editition of the EU Constitution

If you should find any mistakes or omissions please email Jens-Peter Bonde

Best regards,
Jens-Peter Bonde, 1 July 2009.

80,000 pieces of law voters can't change

The EU is composed of 27 member states all with parliamentary democracies. Voters may participate in elections, leading to a new majority and then new laws.

We have managed to establish the existence of more than 80,000 pieces of law in the EU where this fundamental principle of democracy does not apply.

Firstly, we have 26,560 pieces of valid law decided in the European institutions. They can only be amended after a decision by the non-elected members of the Commission. The Council of Ministers must approve important changes by a qualified majority.

The European Parliament can change nothing itself, even if all members of the parliament were to unanimously agree.

Then we have 4,112 international agreements binding citizens and companies in the same way as law. There are also 10,337 verdicts from the EU Court in Luxembourg which can only be amended by new verdicts from the judges or by a new treaty.

Finally we have 44,838 harmonised standards which can normally be amended by the Commission or/and a qualified majority among member states. Again, even a unanimous parliament cannot change them at all after new elections.

European voters are set aside in relation to maybe more than 80,000 rules of laws and harmonisations. We cannot change the content by putting our vote in the ballot box.

Why not insist on the principle of democracy which would say: All laws must be approved by a majority in a national or European Parliament. This does not mean that all 85,832 pieces of hard and soft law must actually be approved by members of parliaments.Those elected by the voters may delegate the more technical decisions to specialised organs.

We would still have democracy if those powers that had been delegated to the common level were able to be brought back by a simple majority in Parliament if necessary. The fact that this is no longer possible means that there is no democracy for the change of these 80,000 hard and soft laws.

Look under "Number of laws" to find the full table of hard and soft laws in the EU. Look under "Democracy" to learn about the decision making process in the EU.

Vote - and win a trip to Brussels OR Strasbourg

The traveling circus between Brussels and Strasbourg is boring for Members of the European Parliament and costly for tax payers. Do you prefer one seat to be in Strasbourg or Brussels? Or will you keep more seats?

Enter our contest now, and you have the chance to win a trip to Brussels or Strasbourg. It's easy, but more than this, it's important. You can now express your opinion on the two-seat situation of the European Parliament, and win something at the same time!

What do you have to do?
Simple, choose one of the three options: keep the EU Parliament in Brussels, keep only the seat in Strasbourg or maintain the current two-seat situation. Enter your email address and click on VOTE!

How can you win?
On the 1st of October we will randomly select one voter from the list of emails who will receive a trip to Brussels or Strasbourg .

Jens-Peter Bonde
Member of the European Parliament
from 1979 - 08, editor euABC.eu