An ‘admirable’ distinction

Date: 06/06/1996

The obsession with openness and transparency has prompted a rush of demands for access to internal EU documents and a well-publicised test case in the Court of First Instance.

But for every person who sees the development as a positive step in the Union's evolution, there is another who sees a political conspiracy which threatens to undermine the EU's institutions.

None, so far, has expressed those concerns with such eloquence and clarity as Pierre de Boissieu, the French ambassador to the EU.

De Boissieu is among those who believe that democracy should not get out of hand. He favours a certain amount of transparency, but not too much, and voiced his worries about this sudden rush of interest in the activities of the Council of Ministers at a recent meeting of Coreper.

Excusing himself in front of the females present, he told the meeting: “It is like the difference between an admirer and a voyeur.” Whether you agree or not, the point was beautifully put.