EURO- COMBINING FORM (POLITICS)

The first part of the name Europe and the adjective European, widely used in compounds and blends relating to Europe, the European Community, or the 'European' money market. Hence as a free-standing adjective: European, conforming to EC standards or belonging to a European institution. Etymology: The first two syllables of Europe or European, Euro- began as a regular adjectival combining form with the function of linking two adjectives together, as in Euro-American, Euro-African, etc. History and Usage: Like eco-, Euro- has enjoyed two fashionable periods in English, the first during the sixties (when British membership was first under discussion) and the second more recently, as EC institutions and standards have begun to impinge more on the British way of life and a greater degree of European integration has been under discussion. When the European Common Market was first set up in the late fifties, it was nicknamed Euromarket or Euromart by some (perhaps in imitation of Eurovision, which had begun in the early fifties), and this began the earlier fashion for formations with Euro-. The Euro- words of the sixties included Eurocrat (a European bureaucrat), Europarliament, Eurofarmer, and several terms to do with the Euromarket in the sense of the 'European' financial markets (such as Eurobond and Euroissue). In the seventies came (amongst others) Eurocentrism (or Eurocentricity), Euro-MP, Eurosummit, and Eurocredit. The rapid growth of the market in Eurocurrencies (some of which are exemplified below) and in Eurobond trading has meant that Euro- has been one of the most fashionable combining forms for financial terms during the eighties and early nineties (examples include Euroconvertible, an adjective or noun applied to Eurobonds which can be converted into another type of security, and Euroequity, an international equity issue). By the late seventies it had also become a fashionable combining form for all consumer products, packaging, etc. produced to EC standards (including Eurobottle, Euro-pack, Euro-pass, and Eurocode) as well as for the standards themselves (Eurostandards). Europe has also been blamed (although perhaps unfairly) for the design of the large wheeled rubbish bin known as a Eurobin or wheelie bin. EC standards and regulations themselves came in for some criticism for their use of gobbledygook, which came to be known as Eurobabble (see -babble), Eurojargon, Eurolingo, or Eurospeak. The apparent inability of EC countries to cope with the commercial challenges of new technology gave rise to the term Eurosclerosis in the early eighties, but this tended to die out in the late eighties as the single European market of 1992 approached and a more optimistic view was taken of the economies of the Twelve. Nevertheless there was much discussion of the pros and cons of European integration in the late eighties, and the issue certainly contributed to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, who was considered Britain's leading Euro-sceptic. Quite independently of the EC, an important political development of the second half of the seventies was the rise of Eurocommunism, a brand of communism which emphasized acceptance of democratic institutions and sought to influence European politics from within; in the mid eighties the Eurocommunists and Eurosocialists sought to resolve their differences and re-form under the more general heading of the Euroleft. The music scene also had a vogue for Euro- words, with Eurodisco, Europop, and Eurorock. In the late seventies and eighties there was opposition to the deployment of Euromissiles and heated discussion in the US over Eurosubsidies given to European firms setting up business or marketing products there. From the beginning Euro- was popular in proper names (for organizations, projects, etc.)--examples include Eurocontrol for air-traffic control from the early sixties, Eurotransplant for an international file of potential donors in the early eighties, and more recent formations such as EuroCypher, an encryption system for satellite transmissions, and Eurotunnel, the Anglo-French consortium which undertook the building of the channel tunnel--and in these cases the capital initial was usually kept. In other Euro- words, though, there is a tendency for the capital to be replaced by a lower-case initial once the word becomes established, and for hyphenated forms to be joined up into a solid word. Occasionally Euro (or euro) is used as a free-standing word operating as an adjective and simply meaning 'European' (see the examples below). Mrs Thatcher is seen in most of the EEC as a Euro-sceptic at best. The Times 30 June 1986, p. 9 A maximum fine of ø1,000 is proposed for owners of all lawnmowers which fail to 'produce a noise of acceptable EEC standard, or Euronoise'. Independent 4 Dec. 1986, p. 1 Though far larger than the domestic stockmarket, the eurodollar market does not directly involve the general public. Michael Brett How to Read the Financial Pages (1987), p. 2 Investors in Industry...yesterday made its first foray into the Euroyen market with the issue of a 12 billion yen...bond, only the third conventional Euroyen issue by a British company. The Times 14 Feb. 1987, p. 18 The Euro terrorists announced...that they had set up a 'Western European Revolutionary offensive'. Evening Standard 24 Mar. 1987, p. 7 While outside influences transform Euro-pop, white America sticks to some well-tested styles. Guardian 7 July 1989, p. 33 The Communists meanwhile have split into two separate groups; a 28-strong 'Euro' tendency led by the Italian PCI, and an 'orthodox' grouping of French, Greek and Portuguese communists and the single Irish Workers' Party member. Guardian 24 July 1989, p. 3 The name Britannia had been dropped from the deal because its nationalistic connotations could have obvious drawbacks in a pan-Euro venture. European Investor May 1990, p. 57 It would be very regrettable if anyone sought to divert the party down a Euro-sceptic path. Daily Telegraph 29 Nov. 1990, p. 2 How Euro are you? Radio Times 18 May 1991, p. 72