National legislation

18.25

Act/bill or law/draft law? Use act/bill for the legislation of an English-speaking country. For other countries either is acceptable. Act is a more natural translation for the title of a law, e.g. la loi sur les sociétés anonymes = the Companies Act, while law is better in a description, e.g. la loi sur les sociétés anonymes = the French law governing companies. Of course, where countries systematically produce their own English translations of their legislation, you should normally use the terms they use. On the other hand, note that law and, in particular, draft law are more comprehensible to readers who are not of English mother tongue.

18.26

Referring to national legal instruments. When referring to types of national instrument in English, use the list in Annex 5, based on ECJ usage; it is not, of course, exhaustive.

18.27

See Annex 4 for a list of judicial bodies.

19.	EXTERNAL RELATIONS

19.1

The terms 'external relations' or 'external policy' refer to the Commission's and the Community's traditional dealings with non-member countries in the fields of trade, aid and various forms of cooperation. Do not use 'foreign policy', except in the very limited context of the (intergovernmental) common foreign and security policy (CFSP) which forms the second pillar of the Maastricht Treaty.

19.2	Information on individual countries. For names, currencies, capital cities, etc., see the list at http://europa.eu.int/comm/translation/currencies/entable1.htm. See also the Europa Yearbook, International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who or Whitaker's Almanack.

19.3

The European Economic Area (EEA), established by the 1991 Agreement on the European Economic Area, extended the Community's “free movement” principles to the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), i.e. Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Austria and Liechtenstein. Switzerland failed to ratify the Agreement and Austria, Finland and Sweden subsequently joined the EU.

19.4

Enlargement to the east. The Commission opinions on the membership applications of ten Central and Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) can be found attached to Agenda 2000 (Bulletin Supplements 6/97 to 15/97). All of the applications have now been accepted. Note that these countries are officially referred to as 'candidate countries'.

19.5

The Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). The CEECs (in French les pays PECO) are generally taken to include: the Visegrad countries of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia; the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; and Romania and Bulgaria. The CEECs are not a formal political grouping and may for some purposes also include other states.

19.6

Third countries. The term third country was used in the Treaties and should be adopted in texts referring to Treaty provisions. Otherwise use non-member countries (not non-member states), non-Community countries or other countries, according to context. Bear in mind, however, that third country will also be appropriate where the text refers to a country not party to a contract between two others, e.g. Canada in the context of a US-Japan agreement.

19.7

United States of America. Shorten to the United States after first mention; America and American are quite acceptable, but the States should be avoided in all but the most casual of contexts. Abbreviate as USA if the proper noun is meant, as US if the adjective is intended. USA is used more widely in other languages; in translation work it is better rendered the United States. Note also that a singular verb follows in English.

19.8

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This is an official entity. It covers the territory of the former Soviet Union less the Baltic States. It comprises the Slavic, Transcaucasian and Central Asian republics (respectively Belarus, Russia and Ukraine; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) plus Moldova.

19.9	Newly Independent States (NIS). This term is widely used to refer collectively to the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union but is not the name of an official entity. The NIS comprises all the republics listed in 19.7 above, plus the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania).

19.10

The Russian Federation. Note that Russia is itself a federal state comprising 49 provinces, five autonomous territories and 22 autonomous republics.

19.11

Islam. Islam is the faith, Muslim (not Muhammedan, Mohammedan) a member of that faith. An Islamic country thus has a mainly Muslim population, some of whom may be Islamists (i.e. “fundamentalists”).

19.12

Middle East. Translate both French Proche Orient and Moyen Orient, German Naher Osten and Mittlerer Osten by Middle East — unless, of course, the source text contrasts the two regions. The term Near East has fallen into disuse in English since World War Two. The term Middle East now covers the countries around the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iran.

19.13

International agreements. For terminology, committees, institutions, etc. connected with the Lomé and other Conventions consult the Conventions themselves.

19.14

International organisations. The best source is The Yearbook of International Organisations.

19.15

United Nations. Use the abbreviation UN, not UNO. See also Everyman's UN.

19.16

GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). Use the GATT or, in context, the General Agreement for the agreement, and GATT without the article for the organisation. Members are called Contracting Parties. While the General Agreement is still in force, as updated in 1994, the organisation has been superseded by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This administers not only the GATT but the GATS — the General Agreement on Trade in Services — as well as a host of other Understandings, Agreements and Arrangements on specific topics. The WTO is not to be confused with the WCO, or World Customs Organisation, formerly known as the Customs Cooperation Council.

19.17

OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). The “Conseil des ministres” is called simply “the OECD Council”.

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