What does eurocrat mean?
A eurocrat is a civil servant or official employed by the institutions of the European Union — the Commission, the Council, the Parliament, and related bodies. The word blends 'European' with 'bureaucrat' and emerged in Britain during the 1960s, when debates over membership of the then-European Communities were at their most heated. Although it can be used neutrally to describe an EU career official, eurocrat more often carries a pejorative charge: it suggests someone remote, unelected, and enamoured of red tape. Headlines about 'faceless Brussels eurocrats' dictating rules from afar are a staple of Eurosceptic rhetoric, particularly in the United Kingdom. Even so, some officials embrace the label with wry humour, and in neutral contexts it functions much like 'civil servant' or 'administrator'. The word belongs to a productive family of '-crat' terms — technocrat, bureaucrat, democrat — all tracing back to Greek kratos, meaning power or rule.
nounAn official or administrator working in the institutions of the European Union (or, historically, other European bodies), especially one perceived as remote, bureaucratic, and detached from ordinary citizens.
- A civil servant or administrator employed by the institutions of the European Union.
- (More broadly, less commonly) an official of European international organizations generally, often used pejoratively to suggest remoteness and excessive bureaucracy.
"Brussels eurocrats drafted the new regulation behind closed doors."
"Critics accused the eurocrats of imposing rules that small businesses could not afford to follow."
"After twenty years as a eurocrat in the Commission's trade directorate, she knew the negotiations inside out."
Regular plural; the singular refers to one official, while the plural is especially common in political rhetoric about the EU apparatus as a whole.
"Eurocrats in Brussels are drafting the next round of environmental regulations."
The word 'eurocrat' was coined as a blend of 'European' and 'bureaucrat' — and its frequent companion 'unelected' makes it a favourite weapon in debates over EU legitimacy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eurocrat
Eurocrat was formed in English in the early 1960s as a blend of 'European' and 'bureaucrat', coined amid British political debate over joining the European Communities; the OED dates it to 1961. Its second element derives ultimately from the French 'bureaucrate', built on Greek 'kratos' ('power, rule'). The word thus shares this Greek root with cognates such as technocrat, democrat, aristocrat, and autocrat, which entered English through French.
Related word forms
How eurocrat is actually used
The word is frequently pejorative, especially in British political discourse, where it carries connotations of bureaucracy, meddling, and lack of democratic accountability — hence common collocations like 'unelected' or 'faceless'. It can also be used neutrally simply to denote an EU official. The term originated in British usage during the debates over European integration in the 1960s.
Easily confused with eurocrat
A eurocrat is an individual official of the European institutions, while eurocracy refers to the bureaucratic system or body of such officials collectively.
A technocrat is an official valued for technical expertise in any sphere, whereas a eurocrat specifically works within European Union institutions.