Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-03-Speech-1-143"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2006-04-03"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Openness of meetings of the Council when acting in its legislative capacity - Access to the institutions documents - (debate)2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20060403.12.1-143"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2006-04-03-Speech-1-1442
lpv:speaker	lp:Erik Meijer2
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; AFET (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3 substitute; DROI (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3 unknown; Socialistische Partij (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 substitute; Delegation for relations with the countries of south-east Europe (2004-09-15--2007-03-13)3 member; EUL/NGL (2004-11-14--2009-07-13)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Croatia Joint Parliamentary Committee (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 member; TRAN (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	". Mr President, whilst the Commission and Parliament probably draw most attention in the European Union, in the final analysis, it is the Council that wields most power. That is where the vetoes are held and where there is scope for deferral for what the Commission and Parliament have decided. It is there that the governments of the Member States do their bartering, where intransparent business interests are protected and where everything is shrouded in much secrecy. The proposed Constitution that was rejected last year by the French and Dutch electorate would have done nothing to change the Council’s powerful role as government and senate rolled into one. One of the Union’s main democratic shortfalls is the fact that the Council meets behind closed doors. In practice, this makes it impossible for Members of this House or of the national parliaments to be certain that the ministers of their Member States have voted as they said they would. A case in point is the vote on the software patents a year ago, where either the Dutch or the Danish minister had lied to their parliaments about their own voting behaviour. This renders democratic control over decision-making impossible. We should not wait for a constitution to throw open Council meetings – not just legislative, but all meetings – to the public. Further delay will amount to the deliberate undermining of parliamentary democracy."@en1

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