The Dejargonator: Untangling EU-Speak, one acronym at a time

Imagine a beautiful Monday morning. The sun is slowly finding its way into your 'kitchen turned office space' and you are about to take the first sip of your coffee when a message in bright red letters crashes down into your inbox:?BREAKING NEWS: INI on CBAM adopted in ENVI!* You blink twice and feel a sense of pride when you decipher the code.

Tuyuca, a local language spoken in parts of Colombia and Brazil counts no less than 140 noun classes, each indicated by a different suffix and prefix. No wonder the language earned itself the enviable title of 'most complex language in the world'. But those of us working in the European neighbourhood know better. In the midst of the Belgian capital, people write in a language so local, specific and filled with acronyms that even Tuyuca seems simple in comparison. And while this poetic policy language is only mastered by a few, its impact can be felt across the continent and the world.

This Dejargonator blog is an attempt to help you untangle some of EU Speak's many mysteries. Together, we will look for ways to make sure that anyone can understand the important messages that hide behind her elaborate sentences and acronyms. These blog posts are meant to be informative, engaging and lightly humoristic, but never judgmental. Like many of you, I am fully aware of the Sisyphean task of using simple words to describe very complex topics. Sometimes it might not even be possible. However, that does not mean we should not try and, every now and then, have a laugh about our less successful attempts. ?

Over the next months, I will share some previously published blogs on map myopia, zombie nouns and the ineffectiveness of communicating large numbers, as well as some brand-new entries. ?

Let's get started! Please read the following sentence to assess your EU-Speak proficiency:

"The Dejargonator utilises the EU institutional mechanisms to facilitate engagement, synergies and co-creation amongst the stakeholders, officials, CAs and Bluebooks, who together will play an essential role in building up a taxonomy of terminologies and abbreviations that will help the different matrices to explain EU integration to the general public."??

You can calculate your EU-Speak proficiency score as followed:

10 - (minus) the number of times you had to read the sentence before at least partially understanding it.

Tip: A score of eight or higher indicates you are ready to impress the crowds at Place de Luxembourg in Brussels on a Thursday night.

To make this blog work, the Dejargonator needs your input. Do not hesitate to share in the comments the terms and acronyms that you struggle with yourself or that have indefinitely ruined your reputation at home because you accidentally said them aloud during a family member’s birthday party. Indeed, the Dejargonator will be a true feat of co-creation. I mean, co-design. Well, one of the two.

*This article is published under the author’s own name and only reflects his personal opinions

*List of acronyms used in this blog:

• INI = Own Initiative Report
• CBAM = Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
• ENVI = European Parliament's Committee?on?Environment, Public Health and Food Safety