Kirkhope: End European Council Secrecy Now
Tuesday 4 April 2006
The European Council of Ministers should listen to calls from MEPs of all political persuasions across Europe who want to bring an end to the outdated practice of EU legislation being passed behind closed doors, Timothy Kirkhope MEP, Conservative leader in the European Parliament, said today after MEPs overwhelmingly voted for the European Council to be broadcast when meeting in a legislative capacity.
Opening up Council meetings to public scrutiny would be very simple to enact through a change in the Council's Rules of Procedure. There would be no need for a change to the treaties of the EU. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in June 2005 that there was a strong case for making Council meetings public but the issue was one of the catalogue of failures of Britain's EU Presidency.
Mr Kirkhope said:
"It is an affront to the people who fought for democracy across Europe that a huge proportion of our laws are made in secret without any scrutiny from the electors. They deserve to know if their government is defending their interests.
"Broadcasting Council meetings would only require a simple change in the Council's procedures. We do not need a change to the treaty. We just need the political will from national governments.
"During the British Presidency, I pressed very hard for these changes to be made but we are still waiting.
"Transparency and openness are essential if the EU is to gain the confidence of its citizens. Making this small change would be very easy yet it would go a long way towards restoring the electorate's lost trust of politicians and of the EU."
ENDS
