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9.5. Administrative structure of the European Union: official titles and listing order

See also Annex A9 — Institutions,
bodies, interinstitutional services and
organisations: multilingual list

9.5.1. Institutions and bodies

The institutions and bodies must be listed in protocol order.

The following list indicates the official title, following protocol order since 1 December 2009 (entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon). The list is followed by a table indicating the form of title to use according to type of publication, as well as the relevant abbreviation and location of the seat.

(a) Institutions

Three Councils
(Do not get them confused)
In the European Union
European Council

Meetings of the Heads of State or Government (presidents or prime ministers) and the President of the European Commission take place, in principle, four times a year. These meetings are also known as ‘summits’. The European Council fixes the general political guidelines of the Union.

Council of the European Union

The ministers of the Member States meet regularly within the Council of the European Union. Depending on the issue on the agenda, each country will be represented by the minister responsible for that. It is the Union’s main decision-making body and determines the greater part of European legislation.

Outside the European Union
Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organisation but is not a European institution.

—
European Parliament
—
European Council
•
President of the European Council
—
Council of the European Union
—
European Commission
—
Court of Justice of the European Union
•
Court of Justice
•
General Court
•
Civil Service Tribunal
—
European Central Bank
—
European Court of Auditors

(b) External policy body

—
European External Action Service
•
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

(c) Consultative bodies

—
European Economic and Social Committee
—
Committee of the Regions of the European Union

(d) Other bodies

—
European Investment Bank
•
European Investment Fund
—
European Ombudsman
—
European Data Protection Supervisor
INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES — Different forms of title
Long name Short name (1) Abbreviation Seat
European Parliament Parliament EP Strasbourg (2)
European Council — — Brussels
Council of the European Union Council
NB:

In popular parlance:

—
Council [Council of …
(specialised, e.g. Agriculture, Ministers)
—
e.g. Fisheries Council (specific)
 — Brussels
European Commission Commission — Brussels (3)
Court of Justice
of the European Union
(institution)		 Court of Justice CJEU Luxembourg
•
Court of Justice (instance)
 Court — Luxembourg
•
General Court
 Court — Luxembourg
•
Civil Service Tribunal
 Tribunal — Luxembourg
European Central Bank Central Bank, Bank ECB Frankfurt am Main
European Court of Auditors (4) Court of Auditors, Court ECA Luxembourg
in the Official Journal: Court of Auditors
European External Action Service — EEAS Brussels
European Economic and Social Committee Committee EESC (5) Brussels
Committee of the Regions of the European Union Committee of the Regions, Committee CoR Brussels
in the Official Journal: Committee of the Regions
European Investment Bank Bank EIB Luxembourg
European Ombudsman Ombudsman — Strasbourg (6)
European Data Protection Supervisor European Supervisor, Supervisor EDPS Brussels
Notes concerning the institutions and bodies
(1)
The abbreviated form should only be used if there is no possibility of confusion (notably between ‘Court’ and ‘Committee’). The full expression must always be used at the first mention.
(2)
The seat of the Parliament is at Strasbourg. Additional sessions are organised at Brussels. The Secretariat is installed at Luxembourg.
(3)
The Commission has its seat at Brussels, but it has some services based in Luxembourg.
(4)
‘European Court of Auditors’ is the title in general use. However, the official title used in purely legal texts is ‘Court of Auditors of the European Union’ (before 1.12.2009: ‘Court of Auditors of the European Communities’), even if it is rarely found in texts. The short form ‘Court of Auditors’ is used in the Official Journal.
(5)
Do not use the short form ‘Economic and Social Committee’ or the abbreviation ‘CES’.
(6)
The seat of the Ombudsman is that of the European Parliament.

9.5.2. Interinstitutional services (1)

European Personnel Selection Office (2)
•
European School of Administration (3)
 EPSO (*)
•
EUSA (*)
 Brussels OJ L 197, 26.7.2002, p. 56
•
OJ L 37, 10.2.2005, p. 14
Publications Office of the European Union (4) OP (*) Luxembourg OJ L 168, 30.6.2009, p. 41
Notes concerning interinstitutional services
(*)
Unique abbreviation for all linguistic versions.
(1)
Attached administratively to the European Commission.
(2)
Usual name.
(3)
Attached administratively to the European Personnel Selection Office.
(4)
Until 30.6.2009: ‘Office for Official Publications of the European Communities’.

9.5.3. Decentralised organisations (agencies)

Decentralised organisations (agencies) are created by a specific legislative act and charged with a particular task.

Generally, the organisations are cited in alphabetical order of the language of the publication.

Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators ACER Ljubljana OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, p. 1
OJ L 326, 8.12.2011, p. 1
Community Plant Variety Office CPVO Angers OJ L 227, 1.9.1994, p. 1
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work EU-OSHA (*) Bilbao OJ L 216, 20.8.1994, p. 1
European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union Frontex (*) Warsaw OJ L 349, 25.11.2004, p. 1
European Agency for the Οperational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice — Tallinn OJ L 286, 1.11.2011, p. 1
European Asylum Support Office EASO (*) Valletta OJ L 132, 29.5.2010, p. 11
European Aviation Safety Agency EASA Cologne OJ L 240, 7.9.2002, p. 1
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC (*) Stockholm OJ L 142, 30.4.2004, p. 1
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training Cedefop (*) Thessaloniki OJ L 39, 13.2.1975, p. 1
European Chemicals Agency ECHA (*) Helsinki OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1
European Environment Agency EEA Copenhagen OJ L 126, 21.5.2009, p. 13
European Fisheries Control Agency (1) EFCA Vigo OJ L 128, 21.5.2005, p. 1
European Food Safety Authority EFSA (*) Parma OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions Eurofound (*) Dublin OJ L 139, 30.5.1975, p. 1
European GNSS Agency GSA (*) Prague OJ L 276, 20.10.2010, p. 11
European Institute for Gender Equality EIGE (*) Vilnius OJ L 403, 30.12.2006, p. 9
European Maritime Safety Agency EMSA (*) Lisbon OJ L 129, 29.4.2004, p. 1
European Medicines Agency EMA (*) London OJ L 136, 30.4.2004, p. 1
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction EMCDDA Lisbon OJ L 36, 12.2.1993, p. 1
(recast: OJ L 376, 27.12.2006, p. 1)
European Network and Information Security Agency ENISA (*) Heraklion OJ L 77, 13.3.2004, p. 1
European Railway Agency ERA Lille-Valenciennes OJ L 164, 30.4.2004, p. 1
European Training Foundation ETF (*) Torino OJ L 131, 23.5.1990, p. 1
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2) FRA (*) Vienna OJ L 53, 22.2.2007, p. 1
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (3) OHIM Alicante OJ L 11, 14.1.1994, p. 1
Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union CdT Luxembourg OJ L 314, 7.12.1994, p. 1
Archived
European Agency for Reconstruction(end of mandate: 31.12.2008) EAR Thessaloniki OJ L 299, 20.11.1999, p. 1

Common foreign and security policy

European Defence Agency EDA Brussels OJ L 245, 17.7.2004, p. 17
European Union Institute for Security Studies EUISS Paris OJ L 200, 25.7.2001, p. 1
European Union Satellite Centre EUSC Torrejón de Ardoz OJ L 200, 25.7.2001, p. 5

Police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters

Eurojust (4) — The Hague OJ L 63, 6.3.2002, p. 1
European Police College CEPOL (*) Bramshill OJ L 256, 1.10.2005, p. 63
European Police Office Europol The Hague OJ C 316, 27.11.1995, p. 1OJ L 121, 15.5.2009, p. 37
Notes concerning decentralised organisations
(*)
Unique abbreviation for all linguistic versions.
(1)
Until 31.12.2011: ‘Community Fisheries Control Agency’ (CFCA).
(2)
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights replaced the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.
(3)
The short form ‘Office for Harmonization’ is also seen. (Do not use ‘Office for Trade Marks’.)
(4)
Eurojust is the European agency for the enhancement of judicial cooperation.
NB:
See also Decision 2004/97/EC, Euratom of 13 December 2003 on the location of certain offices and agencies of the European Union (OJ L 29, 3.2.2004, p. 15).

9.5.4. Executive agencies

These agencies are legal entities established in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 (OJ L 11, 16.1.2003) with a view to being entrusted with certain tasks relating to the management of one or more European Union programmes. These agencies are set up for a fixed period.

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency EACEA (*) Brussels OJ L 24, 27.1.2005, p. 35
European Research Council Executive Agency ERCEA (*) Brussels OJ L 9, 12.1.2008, p. 15
Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation EACI (*) Brussels OJ L 140, 1.6.2007, p. 52
Executive Agency for Health and Consumers EAHC (*) Luxembourg OJ L 173, 3.7.2008, p. 27
Research Executive Agency REA (*) Brussels OJ L 11, 15.1.2008, p. 9
Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency TEN-T EA (*) Brussels OJ L 32, 6.2.2007, p. 88
Notes concerning executive agencies
(*)
Unique abbreviation for all linguistic versions.

9.5.5. Euratom agencies and bodies

These agencies or bodies have been created to support the aims of the European Atomic Energy Community Treaty (Euratom).

Euratom Supply Agency — Luxembourg OJ L 41, 15.2.2008, p. 15
Fusion for Energy Joint Undertaking (1) — Barcelona OJ L 90, 30.3.2007, p. 58
Notes concerning Euratom agencies and bodies
(1)
European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy.

9.5.6. Other organisations

ARTEMIS Joint Undertaking — Brussels OJ L 30, 4.2.2008, p. 52
Clean Sky Joint Undertaking — Brussels OJ L 30, 4.2.2008, p. 1
ENIAC Joint Undertaking — Brussels OJ L 30, 4.2.2008, p. 21
European Institute of Innovation and Technology EIT (*) Budapest OJ L 97, 9.4.2008, p. 1
IMI Joint Undertaking (1) — Brussels OJ L 30, 4.2.2008, p. 38
SESAR Joint Undertaking (2) — Brussels OJ L 64, 2.3.2007, p. 1
OJ L 352, 31.12.2008, p. 12
Notes concerning other organisations
(*)
Unique abbreviation for all linguistic versions.
(1)
Joint Undertaking for the implementation of the Joint Technology Initiative on Innovative Medicines.
(2)
Joint undertaking to develop the new generation European air traffic management system.
Last updated: 24.5.2013
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