MEPs press Council of Ministers to open its doors

The Petitions Committee of the European Parliament adopted on 22 february 2006 an own-initiative report calling on the Council to meet in public. MEPs argued that it was unacceptable for the EU's most important law-making body still to meet behind closed doors. The committee says greater transparency would enable the European Parliament and national parliaments to fulfil their scrutiny role better and help broaden public debate on EU issues.