Poll shows Council of Ministers lagging behind on transparency

By Martin Banks

Date: 06/11/03

THE European Parliament has fallen behind the Commission in the openness and transparency "league table", according to a survey of EU lobbyists.

But the Council of Ministers still lags well behind both institutions when it comes to access to documents.

These are two of the main findings so far of an online campaign aimed at creating more transparency within EU institutions.

As part of the initiative between European Voice and business chiefs, readers and lobbyists are invited to assess the level of openness displayed by the European Commission, Parliament and Council across a range of issues.

When asked how it rates in terms of access to agendas and working documents, the Commission gets an average of three out of five, slightly more than the Parliament.

However, the Council, including the ministerial, working group and ambassadors' meetings, received an average of less than two out of five on this question.

Parliament scores marginally higher than the Commission in respect of information on times and access to meetings, and exactly the same on the question of access to buildings.

The two other organizations involved in the survey, launched on 18 September, are the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium (BCC) and the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP).

Elizabeth Crossick, vice-president of the BCC, said: "Respondents seem to feel that the Commission has now just about overtaken the Parliament when it comes to transparency.

"This is, perhaps, rather surprising given the emphasis Parliament places on openness and accessibility.

"It does not surprise me, though, that the Council is still bottom of the league table. This particular institution still has some way to go before it catches up."

A spokesman for the Council, however, disputed the findings, saying that "major" progress had been made on improving transparency.

He said: "I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement but it is worth pointing out that our agendas and working documents do actually appear on the Council's website."

This is not the first time the Council has come under fire for an alleged lack of openness.

Jacob Söderman branded the Council "old-fashioned" compared with the other main EU institutions in its approach to transparency before he stepped down as European Ombudsman earlier this year.

Anyone involved within the EU institutions, or who works for them, is free to take part in the survey.

Links to the questionnaire can be found on this newspaper's website, www.europeanvoice.com