7.1. Countries
7.1.1. Designations and abbreviations to use
(See also Annexes A5 and A6.)
Member States
The names of the Member States of the European Union must always be written and abbreviated according to the following rules:
| Short name, in source language(s) (geographical name) (1) | Official name, in source language(s) (protocol name) | Short name in English (geographical name) | Official name in English (protocol name) | Country code (2) | Former abbreviation (2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgique/België | Royaume de Belgique/ Koninkrijk België |
Belgium | Kingdom of Belgium | BE | B |
| България (*) | Република България | Bulgaria | Republic of Bulgaria | BG | — |
| Česko | Česká republika | Czechia | Czech Republic | CZ | — |
| Danmark | Kongeriget Danmark | Denmark | Kingdom of Denmark | DK | |
| Deutschland | Bundesrepublik Deutschland | Germany | Federal Republic of Germany | DE | D |
| Eesti | Eesti Vabariik | Estonia | Republic of Estonia | EE | — |
| Éire/Ireland | Éire/Ireland | Ireland | IE | IRL | |
| Ελλάδα (*) | Ελληνική Δημοκρατία | Greece | Hellenic Republic | EL | |
| España | Reino de España | Spain | Kingdom of Spain | ES | E |
| France | République française | France | French Republic | FR | F |
| Hrvatska | Republika Hrvatska | Croatia | Republic of Croatia | HR | — |
| Italia | Repubblica italiana | Italy | Italian Republic | IT | I |
| Κύπρος (*) | Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία | Cyprus | Republic of Cyprus | CY | — |
| Latvija | Latvijas Republika | Latvia | Republic of Latvia | LV | — |
| Lietuva | Lietuvos Respublika | Lithuania | Republic of Lithuania | LT | — |
| Luxembourg | Grand-Duché de Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Grand Duchy of Luxembourg | LU | L |
| Magyarország | Magyarország | Hungary | HU | — | |
| Malta | Repubblika ta’ Malta | Malta | Republic of Malta | MT | — |
| Nederland | Koninkrijk der Nederlanden | Netherlands | Kingdom of the Netherlands | NL | |
| Österreich | Republik Österreich | Austria | Republic of Austria | AT | A |
| Polska | Rzeczpospolita Polska | Poland | Republic of Poland | PL | — |
| Portugal | República Portuguesa | Portugal | Portuguese Republic | PT | P |
| România | România | Romania | RO | — | |
| Slovenija | Republika Slovenija | Slovenia | Republic of Slovenia | SI | — |
| Slovensko | Slovenská republika | Slovakia | Slovak Republic | SK | — |
| Suomi/Finland | Suomen tasavalta/ Republiken Finland |
Finland | Republic of Finland | FI | FIN |
| Sverige | Konungariket Sverige | Sweden | Kingdom of Sweden | SE | S |
|
(*)
Latin transliteration: България = Bulgaria; Ελλάδα = Elláda; Κύπρος = Kýpros. (1)
The short name in the source
language(s) is used to fix the protocol order and is used in multilingual
documents (see Section 7.1.2).
(2)
The abbreviation to use = ISO code, except for Greece, for which EL is recommended (instead of the ISO code GR). The former abbreviations (generally taken from the international code for automobiles) were used until the end of 2002. NB:
Do not use ‘Republic of Ireland’. Although this name is found in some documents, it does not have official status. Use ‘Netherlands’ not Holland, which is only part of the Netherlands (the provinces of North and South Holland); a capital T is not necessary on ‘the’. In tables ‘Netherlands’ will suffice. |
|||||
Non-EU countries
For non-EU countries, it is also advisable to use the two-character ISO code (ISO 3166 alpha-2).
For the format of presentation (short name, official title, list of ISO codes), see Annexes A5 and A6.
For the recommended order, see Section 7.1.2.
Acceding state/cCandidate countries
| Short name, in source language(s) (geographical name) | Short name in English (geographical name) | Official name in English (protocol name) | Country code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crna Gora/Црна Гора | Montenegro | ME | |
| Ísland (1) | Iceland | IS | |
| Северна Македонија (2) | North Macedonia (3) | Republic of North Macedonia (3) | MK |
| Shqipëria | Albania | Republic of Albania | AL |
| Srbija/Сpбија | Serbia | Republic of Serbia | RS |
| Türkiye | Turkey |
Republic of Turkey | TR |
(1)
Do not use ‘Republic of Iceland’. Although this name is found in some documents, it does not have official status. In March 2015 Iceland requested that it no longer be regarded as a candidate country. The Council took note and further practical adjustments of the working procedures were undertaken.
(2)
Latin transliteration: Северна Македонија = Severna Makedonija.
(3)
Do not use ‘Northern Macedonia’ or ‘Republic of Northern Macedonia’.
|
|||
Official title or short name?
The long form (official title) is used when the state is targeted as a legal entity:
This Decision is addressed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The French Republic is authorised to …
The short form (short name) is used when the state is referred to geographically or economically:
Workers residing in France
Exports from Greece …
Central African Republic
Ireland
Romania
