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Implementation Legal reform

The big lesson after ten years of EU transparency reforms? You will never get it right

The Lisbon Treaty recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Treaty, which laid the fundament for a reformed European Union, entered into force with the promise that European decision making would become more transparent, and therefore more democratic. On the tenth birthday, Maarten Hillebrandt considers what has come of these ambitions.

Credit: El País.
Categories
Research

New article on the trade-off between transparency and efficiency

A new article in the Journal of European Public Policy takes a closer look at the purported trade-off between transparency and efficiency.

Categories
Research

Dissertation on EU Council transparency wins Dutch-Flemmish annual dissertation prize

On 1 November, the Dutch Association for Public Administration awarded Maarten Hillebrandt the Van Poelje Prize for his dissertation entitled Living Transparency. The development of access to documents in the Council of the EU and its democratic implications.

Categories
Jurisprudence Research

New case note on access to documents case related to the EU’s emissions trade scheme

“On the Administration of Pollution: How Much “Space to Think” May the EU Claim?”

When can an institution plausibly argue that something is decision-making, and not “mere” administration? And more importantly, how does this influence EU bodies’ legitimate claim to a “space to think” that shields them from transparency? In this newly published case note, Maarten Hillebrandt and Liisa Leppävirta argue that the EU courts still have a long way to go to clarify these questions.