9.5.1. Institutions and bodies
Institutions and bodies must be listed in protocol order.
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 the type of publication, along with the relevant abbreviation and the location of the seat.
(a) Institutions
CommissiontitleCounciltitle- European Parliament
-
President of the European Council
- Council of the European Union
- European Commission
Court of Justice of the European Union
- Court of Justice
- General Court
NB:The Civil Service Tribunal, established in 2004, ceased to operate on 1 September 2016 after its jurisdiction was transferred to the General Court.
- European Central Bank
- European Court of Auditors
In the European Union
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.
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 EU legislation.
Outside the European Union
The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organisation but is not a European Union institution.
(b) External policy body
European External Action Service
- High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
(c) Consultative bodies
(d) Other bodies
- European Ombudsman
- European Data Protection Supervisor
- European Data Protection Board
- European Public Prosecutor’s Office
- European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre
| 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:
|
— | 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 |
| European Central Bank | Central Bank, Bank | ECB | Frankfurt am Main |
| European Court of Auditors(4) in the Official Journal: Court of Auditors |
Court of Auditors, Court | ECA | Luxembourg |
| European External Action Service | — | EEAS | Brussels |
| European Economic and Social Committee | Committee | EESC(5) | Brussels |
| European Committee of the Regions(6) in the Official Journal, L series: Committee of the Regions |
Committee | CoR | Brussels |
| European Investment Bank | Bank | EIB | Luxembourg |
| European Ombudsman | Ombudsman | — | Strasbourg(7) |
| European Data Protection Supervisor | European Supervisor, Supervisor | EDPS | Brussels |
| European Data Protection Board | Board | EDPB | Brussels |
| European Public Prosecutor’s Office | — | EPPO | Luxembourg |
| European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre | — | ECCC | Bucharest |
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.
The seat of the Parliament is at Strasbourg. Additional sessions are organised at Brussels. The Secretariat is installed at Luxembourg.
The Commission has its seat at Brussels, but it has some services based in Luxembourg.
‘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.
Do not use the short form ‘Economic and Social Committee’ or the abbreviation ‘CES’.
‘European Committee of the Regions’ is the name generally used. In purely legal texts and in the Official Journal, L series, use the official denomination ‘Committee of the Regions’. Acronym in use not to be changed (as requested by the Committee).
The seat of the Ombudsman is that of the European Parliament.