Roll up and see the show

Date: 25/04/1996

It may not match the homes-of-the-stars guided tour around Hollywood, but 'Open Doors Day' at the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the Commission is expected to pack them in.

And before you laugh, remember that the first open day at the European Parliament attracted 18,000 visitors in September 1994, many of whom are rumoured to be still trying to get from the Van Maerlant building to the Espace Leopold.

This time, on 11 May, all three institutions are joining in, with the Commission preparing peeps into the Commissioners' meeting room and the press bar, the two nerve centres of EU policy-making.

The event will be a first for the secretive Council of Ministers, which a handy 'Open Door Day' brochure explains “ensures the convergence of the member states' positions on the common objectives of the Union”. Hmm ... must be another Council of Ministers.

Anyway, the same helpful brochure suggests the tour should start with the Parliament and end with the Commission, doubtless so that punters can view the trio in order of democratic legitimacy.