| BAT | Best Available Technology |
| BATNEEC | Best Available Technology not Entailing Excessive Costs |
| CEE | Central and Eastern Europe |
| EC | European Communities |
| EEC | European Economic Community |
| ECSC | European Coal and Steel Community |
| EIA | Environmental Impact Assessment |
| EMAS | Eco-management and Audit Scheme |
| EU | European Union |
| Euratom | European Atomic Energy Community |
| GMO | Genetically Modified Organisms |
| GMMO | Genetically Modified Micro-organisms |
| IPPC | Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control |
| 'LIFE' | Financial Instrument for the Environment |
| NGO | Non-governmental Organization |
| OECD | Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development |
| PHARE | Poland and Hungary Assistance to Restructure the Economy |
| REC | Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe |