In Eurospeak a memory organisation could be a library, a museum or something similar. This could be puzzling, but if you follow this short introductory guide to Eurospeak, the results will be telling!

This complex and constantly evolving jargon has its origins in the multilingual gymnastics of the officials of the European institutions, where the mix of nationalities and the bureaucratic need to appear 'innovative' has made for an ever-increasing tendency to waffle. It also owes a great deal to modern business talk, most of which, ironically, comes from the United States.

In practical terms, filling in forms, following guidelines, corresponding with partners and European officials, or producing your own documentation are all crucial for successfully applying for and completing your EU-funded project. To understand the reams of paperwork, laced with opaque wording, it would not hurt to know a bit of Eurospeak before you start.

Before doing so, check whether the project you are interested in needs to be multi-partner (involving two or more partners) and transnational (involving partners from two or more countries). Assuming you do, try to make the partnership an admirable example of multidimensionality (involving bodies engaged in related areas of policy). Though be sure not to neglect the bottom-up-approach by encourage participation in decision-making at the lowest levels.

Phew! But there's more...
What does your project consist of? Very often you will pursue a number of goals in relation to the overall objective of a programme such as improving education standards, assisting developing countries, encouraging internet use, etc.. You should still make sure that your project is fully cross-compliant (it does not contradict or work against other EU policies, programmes or activities). Of course, the aforementioned multidimensionality of your team should mitigate against this.

As for the goals themselves, now we are getting down to the nitty-gritty. Goal number one is establishing best practice (techniques or methods that, through experience and research, have proven to reliably lead to a desired result) in the field. But you cannot do that until you do some benchmarking, every Europe-watcher's favourite. This means a continuous systematic process of evaluation (which establishes best practices!).

If you are developing a new product or service, you will need a market authorisation (licence) to sell and/or distribute it. Just make sure of its interoperability (cross-border technical compatibility) before marketing it. Good visibility (publicity and PR) is, of course, important for any successful project.

Fine. It's easy really, isn't it?!?
To cap it all, by far the most popular Eurospeak word is transparency, which means making (your) actions and decisions accountable. Ironic, eh?

Before you know it, you'll be talking Eurospeak yourself...

Anthony Smith
27 November 2003