Beckett criticised by MEP for trying to block openness of EU law-making

Published on Thu 15th Jun 2006

The Austrian government are the current six-months Presidents of the EU Council of Ministers. They have tabled an excellent democratic proposal for the European Council which meets this Friday - when Blair, Chirac, Merkel etc will meet together.

The Austrian proposal calls for it to be normal practice to be that proposed EU laws are debated by ministers in public (unless there are exceptional reasons not to do so, such as terrorism).

Until now, it requires a positive initiative within the Council to open up each separate item of business to the public - and this rarely happens. So the Austrian proposal is real progress for democracy. The next Presidency, Finland, says is all set to put it fully into practice in the second half of this year.

However, Margaret Beckett went to the General Affairs Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday this week. She complained that the proposal went too far and that some things must be dealt with behind closed doors. MEPs would not necessarily disagree, but it is the making of EU LAWS which must be debated by ministers in public.

EU laws are passed by two legislative chambers in Brussels - the European Parliament, representing the public, meets entirely in public. The other chamber is the Council of ministers, representing the 25 national governments in the EU, and so far it meets in private.

Apart from the Council, only in North Korea and in Beijing do parliamentary bodies meet and pass laws in secret.

If Ministers are to be held to account it is essential that MPs know what they say in Brussels.

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel is set to challenge Tony Blair over secretive law making at this week's EU summit.

The stage has been set for a heated debate about EU openness and transparency after the Austrian Presidency made clear today that they were determined to press ahead with a call to open up the law making process despite protests from British Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett.

Tony Blair and former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw committed themselves to the principle of open ministerial debate on new laws when they signed the draft EU Constitution.

The leaders of all political parties in the European Parliament have joined together to press for EU laws to be made in public.

Bill Newton Dunn, Lib Dem MEP for the East Midlands and long-term campaigner for more openness accuses Mrs Beckett of a betrayal.

"We are not talking about issues of national security but about the making of laws that will be binding on Britain. It is in the interests of democracy that laws should be debated in public not behind closed doors.

"How can national parliaments hold ministers to account if MPs don't know what their ministers said in Brussels on their country's behalf? And how will the public ever be convinced about the merits of the EU if their perception is one of secrecy and skullduggery?"