Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-13-Speech-2-518-000"
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"en.20110913.41.2-518-000"2
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"Mr President, the credit for this report is due, of course, not to me but to Ms Hautala, my former colleague, who is now a member of the Finnish Government. In Ms Hautala, the Finnish Government has obtained a very good minister, but this House has also lost a champion of transparency. It is a privilege for me to have the opportunity to take over the baton from her. The Hautala report – now the Sargentini report – was approved by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs back in June.
It gained that approval with an overwhelming majority based on a shared awareness that the transparency of European decision making still leaves a great deal to be desired. Too often, the secrecy reflex still prevails, whereas, in fact, transparency must be the presumption. Too often, the citizens must themselves ask to see documents that could have been put online long ago. Too often, people still have to mindlessly trawl through European websites, whereas all the documents that shed light on decision making in a particular area could equally be put together in a clear way. You and I know what that means for us, too. Too often, the Court of Justice and the European Ombudsman have to take Europe’s institutions to task. All of this is despite the fact that the Treaty of Lisbon commits us, more than ever, to the most transparent decision making possible.
Access to documents and good governance are fundamental rights to which, since the advent of the Treaty of Lisbon, the institutions, bodies and agencies of the European Union have actually been subject. It thus does not help or, to put it a better way, it is disastrous for European credibility, if the Council nevertheless keeps documents about its part of the legislative process secret. Then we have the fact that there is, curiously, still a Commission proposal on the table concerning the restriction of the definition of ‘documents’ which would make it easier for internal documents to be swept under the carpet. This secrecy impulse runs counter to the Treaty of Lisbon. This resolution thus calls on the Commission to bring forward a new proposal to revise the regulation regarding public access to documents, a proposal that is ‘Lisbon-proof’. I would like to hear a response to this from the Commissioner.
However, this House should not hold its breath awaiting serious transparency from the other institutions. We can get to work on this ourselves, as the Hautala/Sargentini resolution also says. At this point in time, the trialogues and conciliation procedures are the most opaque part of the legislative procedure, yet these negotiations are more often than not crucial to the end result obtained. Parliament must thus publish the associated documents in future. That is essential for the press, for civil society and for stakeholders amongst the general public. They have the right to be able to keep close tabs on the legislative process. For the same reason, Parliament’s committees must hold at least one orientation vote before they turn to a trialogue with the Council and the Commission. That should be laid down as mandatory in our Rules of Procedure.
Finally, the debt crisis is putting confidence in the European Union under severe pressure. I advise the institutions and the Member States not to break any more promises. We need to realise the promise of maximum transparency, and time is pressing."@en1
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