MEPs refuse to back down in fight over top-secret files

Date: 26/10/00

By John Shelley

A "CHEAP" attempt by member states to persuade the European Parliament to drop the threat of legal action over new rules on public access to documents has sparked a debate over what rights MEPs should be given to see top-secret papers.

As the battle continues over the blanket ban on the public's right to see military papers introduced by member states this summer, the Council of Ministers has suggested that a committee of high-level Euro MPs should be given access privileges instead.

The idea was put forward in an attempt to persuade MEPs to abandon plans to file a complaint with the European Court of Justice, but it failed. An hour and a half after party group leaders were handed the proposal, they decided to go ahead with the planned court action, condemning the idea that a deal on the Parliament's access to documents could be substituted for the public's right to see EU papers.

But despite the plan's failure to achieve its immediate objective, both sides admit it could be used as a basis for a cooperation agreement and as a bargaining chip in negotiations on wider rules to govern public access to documents.

"It was a particularly cheap way of trying to stop the Parliament going to court," said Finnish MEP and Green Group leader Heidi Hautala. "The majority of the group leaders agreed that this was not the correct response, but I think the Council is still interested in continuing the discussion with the Parliament."

In a framework accord with the assembly adopted in July, the European Commission agreed to give MEPs wide-ranging rights to see documents and be consulted. The latest development is the first concrete sign that a similar, although more limited, deal could be struck between the Parliament and Council, which has tradi-tionally been reluctant to involve MEPs too closely in its internal workings.

In its proposal, the Council suggests that a committee consisting of the Parliament president, the chairman of the defence committee and one other MEP should be given special access to papers. "I do not think it is a bad starting point, but I am surprised that they are saying they would only trust two or three members," said Hautala.

The access-to-documents row erupted in August after member states pushed through rules - designed to protect NATO secrets shared with the Union because of its increasing military role - which prohibit the public from seeing whole categories of documents.

A 'cheap' attempt by Member States to persuade the European Parliament to drop the threat of legal action over new rules on public access to documents has sparked a debate over what rights MEPs should be given to see top-secret papers.