Open and shut case

Date: 06/02/1997

A Commission and Council of Ministers Tacis meeting delivered a mortal blow to democracy last week by refusing entry to a European Parliament official.

It was the first real test of an accord struck with MEPs last year on openness, but despite the fact that at least four items on the Tacis agenda had budgetary implications - and Parliament has budgetary powers - the committee spent over an hour arguing over whether the parliamentary official should be allowed to listen in.

The whole point of the 1996 agreement was to shed more light on the inner workings of comitology, with MEPs promised a regular list of committees whose delegates would make a declaration of interest to ensure no conflict arose between their EU and other activities. Admittedly, parliamentary attendance at such committees was not unconditionally guaranteed. Each committee was to choose, although the exact voting method was left vague.

At the Tacis meeting last week, Spain was by far the most hostile to allowing the 'eavesdropper' in and the Commission chairman finally concluded that there was no consensus. The official was politely shown the door.

The outcome has angered British Socialist MEP Terry Wynn, who negotiated the original deal.

"Next time, Detlev Samland and I will go along," he told European Voice, referring to the no-nonsense German Socialist chairman of the Parliament's budget committee whose name already strikes fear within the Commission.