Language is one of the most extraordinary gifts humanity has given itself. There is nothing more elegant, engrossing, or breathtaking than a well-constructed string of words that vividly captures a sight, a smell, or a thought.
However, my admiration for linguistic creativity has its limits. I draw the line at Eurospeak—a term used, often critically or humorously, to describe the unnecessarily complex, bureaucratic, and jargon-heavy language commonly found in official documents, communications, and legislation from the European Union (EU) and its institutions. Whenever I read an EU document or hear an EU official speak, I find myself wondering: do they want to be understood—or merely heard?
What?
A wonderful example of Eurospeak can be found in the Annual Report on 2023 on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality and on Relations with National Parliaments:
In accordance with the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity, the Member States shall undertake coordinated actions to ensure the effective implementation of the objectives outlined in the framework directive, without prejudice to national competencies.
Couldn’t they have just said: “EU countries will work together to meet the goals of the directive while respecting national powers.”
Whatever the regulation, there’s always a wordy, incomprehensible word salad to describe it. Here’s another excerpt from an actual EU document—a regulation on food safety:
The general objective of this Regulation, namely the establishment of a high level of protection of human life and health and the protection of consumers’ interests in relation to food, whilst ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market, should be pursued through the adoption of measures…
In plain English: “This law aims to protect people’s health and consumer rights related to food, while also ensuring the EU market works well.”
Duolingo Launches New EU Language Course To Help Brussels Officials Talk To Rest Of The World And Vice-Versa pic.twitter.com/3AixTgGifV
— Le Chou News (@LeChouNews) December 8, 2022
Eurospeak makes it hard for citizens to fully understand the issues at hand, alienating the average reader. It also feels distant and technocratic, reinforcing the perception of the EU as elitist and disconnected.
Let’s Dissect the Key Characteristics of Eurospeak
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Overuse of Bureaucratic Jargon: Words and phrases that sound technical, abstract, or unnecessarily complex (e.g., “subsidiarity,” “harmonisation,” “comitology”).
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Lengthy and Indirect Sentences: Long, passive sentences that are difficult to parse—often designed to allow multiple legal interpretations.
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Neologisms and Euro-specific Terms: New words or phrases invented to describe EU-specific processes or institutions (e.g., “enlargement fatigue,” “acquis communautaire”).
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Vagueness or Ambiguity: To avoid political conflict between member states, language is sometimes deliberately vague or non-committal.
Why Does This Happen?
Why persist with Eurospeak when it makes EU communication so inaccessible to ordinary citizens?
Supporters argue that the complexity is necessary for several reasons:
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Multilingual Translation Needs:
Original texts must be neutral and precise enough to be accurately translated into all 24 official EU languages. This discourages idioms or overly simple phrasing. -
Legal Precision:
EU laws affect 27 different legal systems. Eurospeak must be technically precise—even if that means being less comprehensible. -
Political Sensitivity:
Language is carefully chosen to avoid offending or excluding any member state, resulting in deliberate vagueness and neutrality. -
Compromise Language:
Many policies are negotiated among different countries, so the final wording includes compromise phrases that everyone can accept—even if they are hard to understand.
Steps Toward Better Communication
Let’s stop being churlish and instead ask: what can be done to improve communication between EU lawmakers and their constituents? These suggestions could strengthen democratic engagement and increase respect for the EU and its institutions.
A good starting point would be to simplify the language and reduce Eurospeak. Nobody has ever been convicted for drafting legislative summaries or press releases in plain, comprehensible, everyday language.
Another helpful measure would be to include glossaries with clear, user-friendly explanations of complex terms (e.g., “cohesion policy,” “subsidiarity”).
EU communications could also improve by training staff to explain policy in accessible terms—not merely to translate bureaucratic jargon.
Employ Technology
By leveraging targeted social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, policies could be explained in short, clear videos aimed at younger audiences.
AI-assisted tools could summarize EU policies in simple language tailored to different age groups or education levels.
Reducing Eurospeak isn’t just a matter of style—it’s about democratizing access to the policymaking process. If citizens can’t understand the EU, they can’t hold it accountable or engage with it meaningfully. Its pretentious narrations may even be seen as a way to mask a lack of accomplishment.
Clarity builds trust.
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