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# Open Government in the EU
News, research and debates on transparency & access since 2010
## Sitemaps
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## Posts
- [New article on 'Pfizergate' case scrutinises EU's broader recourse to 'alternative documents'](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3717) - A legal analysis published in Ars Aequi last week situates the General Court’s judgment in Stevi and the New York Times Company v Commission (commonly referred to as the ‘Pfizergate’ case) within the broader context of ‘alternative documents’ regimes in the Commission and Council of the EU. In this blog post, first author Andra Primavarus
- [European law professor wins transparency case over EU rule of law policy - again](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3708) - General Court of the EU rules in favour of European law professor's access to documents case against the Commission. Inter alia, the latter argued -unsuccessfully- that it could not provide timely and complete access due to temporary staff shortages. On 27 January, the General Court of the EU ruled in favour of a European law
- [Research project publishes edited volume on European government transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3674) - (In)visible European Government: Critical Approaches to Transparency as an Ideal and a Practice, edited by Maarten Hillebrandt, Päivi Leino-Sandberg, and Ida Koivisto, and published today, is hailed as a "foundational text [that] will shape debate for a considerable time in the future". On 22 December, Routledge published the edited volume (In)visible European Government: Critical Approaches
- [“This Is Not a Foreign Agents Law”](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3685) - The Commission’s New Directive on Transparency of Third Country Lobbying The European Commission emphasises that the new law does not stigmatise anyone nor involve criminal sanctions. But the more a statement is repeated, the less credible it appears, says Emilia Korkea-aho. On Tuesday, 12 December 2023, the Commission adopted its long-awaited Defence of Democracy package,
- [The state of EU access in 2022](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3666) - Each year, the three core EU institutions, as well as a host of other bodies, publish their annual reports detailing the state of the implementation of Regulation 1049/2001 governing the public's access to their documents. How did this right fare in 2022? The EU's public access to documents law was adopted in 2001. It obligates
- [Paris workshop to explore court lobbying](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3661) - Scholars will address the conceptualisation, potentialities, and risks of lobbies that target courts. On 14-15 September, a workshop is convened around the subject of 'lobbying the courts' at the Paris campus of the HEC Business School. As the organisers note on the workshop's website, the subject has up until now remained "largely understudied and as
- [EU transparency news reports in 2022](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3372) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Below, you can find the news digest for 2022. Central topics in news coverage were opacities caused by the corona pandemic and the rule of law crisis, and the potential reform of the EU's access
- [General Court of the EU reverses Council’s decision to refuse access to legislative documents in an ongoing decision making process](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3636) - In a recent court judgment (De Capitani v Council), the General Court of the EU finds that the Council erroneously relied on the access to documents regulation (Regulation 1049/2001) to refuse access to Council working party documents pertaining to an ongoing legislative decision-making procedure in order to protect the negotiation process, Dutch Foreign Ministry experts
- [Transparency goes digital in the EU —What is it good for?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3627) - As the EU turns to the regulation of artificial intelligence through transparency, a critical perspective is more needed than ever, Ida Koivisto argues. The sudden rise of algorithmic transparency In the autumn of 2018, a colleague, and a friend, Riikka Koulu (associate professor of legal and social implications of AI at University of Helsinki) suggested
- [Swedish Presidency Programme barely mentions transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3607) - Transparency all but falls off the Presidency agenda of openness-loving Sweden. Transparency to the background On 1 January, EU member state Sweden took over the Presidency of the EU Council. While the country has a long tradition of advocating transparency within the context of the EU, its new Presidency programme is remarkably limited on references
- [Interview with co-authors of NGO report on RRF spending transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2720) - A recent report by the Open Procurement EU Coalition warns that the EU is on track to repeat corruption scandals like those that arose during the pandemic. Co-authors Rachel Hanna and Helen Darbishire: "Business as usual isn’t good enough". Riding out what seems to be the tail of the Covid-19 pandemic at least in this
- [Calls for transparency in the wake of the Qatargate corruption scandal](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3595) - Universal expressions of outrage are swiftly followed by calls for greater transparency. On Friday 9 December, the Belgian police raided several offices and apartments of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and MEP's assistance, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption in the form of bribe-taking. Several MEPs appear to be implicated, with a
- [Op-Ed: “Access to EU documents and the litigation privilege: Case T-421/17 RENV – Leino-Sandberg v Parliament”](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3583) - On 28 September, the General Court delivered its judgment in the access to documents case of Professor Leino-Sandberg against the European Parliament. The final judgment of this multiple-year, multiple-judgment litigation saga is discussed by Anastasia Karatzia. The 2022 judgment of the General Court in the case of Leino-Sandberg v Parliament (T-421/17 RENV) signals the end to the
- [Secrecy over Brexit agreement (Part II)](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3567) - Necessarily restricted public participation? Ombudsman confirmed her findings of maladministration by the Council in absence of increased access to Council Legal Service's opinion. While the EU was praised for its transparency in negotiations with the exiting United Kingdom, this openness appears not to extend to its internal legal advice regarding the negotiation process. In this sequel to her
- [Secrecy over Brexit agreement](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3498) - In process of obtaining the Council Legal Service's opinion on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. While the EU was praised for its transparency in negotiations with the exiting United Kingdom, this openness appears not to extend to its internal legal advice regarding the negotiation process. Vellamo Jutila shares her experience of trying to probe
- [EO issues guidelines for EU administrative bodies regarding text message transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3541) - Concise overview of mobile phone transparency best practices presented in light-hearted text message format. On 14 July 2022, the European Ombudsman's office circulated a concise brochure containing a set of guidelines for organisations comprising the EU's administration. The guidelines, which take the format of a two-page memo in a visually attractive mobile phone text app
- [WhatsApp Europe?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3520) - How official instant messaging can be made accessible is a big question. Whether it is compatible with democracy is a bigger one, Jonathan White argues. In April 2021, the New York Times reported that the European Union’s Covid-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer had been negotiated by a series of text messages and calls between the European Commission president,
- [Russian lobbyists to be barred from accessing EU decision makers](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3532) - Decision taken well into the Russian invasion in Ukraine and after considerable pressure on the institution representing EU member states. After months of pressure from civil society, the French Presidency of the Council of the EU has moved to suspend Russian lobbyists from the EU's Transparency Register of vetted lobbyists, Politico reports. Accredited registration on
- [European Ombudsman concludes Commission revolving door inquiry with call to action](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3491) - Ombudsman O'Reilly presents findings after studying over 100 decisions pertaining to outgoing senior staff, of which a mere 2 were rejected. On 18 May, the European Ombudsman presented her findings in an own-inquiry about the state of 'revolving doors' policy in the Commission. The report was a follow-up to a previous inquiry in which the
- [7th Global Conference on Transparency Research takes place next week in Copenhagen](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3485) - After a year of postponement, the 7th edition of the GCTR, organised by Copenhagen Business School, takes place from 18-20 May under the banner "Rethinking Transparency: Challenging Ideals and Embracing Paradoxes". After the corona pandemic forced the organising committee of the 7th GCTR to postpone the event last May following an unexpected late outburst of
- [Enhanced transparency of decion making among CoFEU Plenary's list of proposals](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3470) - Draft report, endorsed by the European Parliament, proposes swathe of measures aimed at strengthening transparency and participation for citizens and parliaments. On 27 April, the Conference Plenary of the Conference for the Future of Europe (CoFEU) adopted its list of draft proposals that emerged after a lengthy process of meetings in different citizens' panels (both
- [CJEU gets ready to broadcast sessions online](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3458) - Starting Tuesday, delivery of judgments and reading of Advocate General's opinions to be broadcast live, and some hearings with a delay of a few hours. Friday's announcement was met with cautious approval by various academic observers. Daniel Sarmiento, professor at Madrid Complutense University and editor-in-chief of the EU Law Live news platform, spoke of a
- [Court of Justice takes unusual step of live streaming verdict in landmark rule of law case](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3397) - The Court of Justice has been under sustained criticism of academics for its lack of transparency and communication, yet it remains unclear whether its latest decision means it has now passed the Rubicon. The Court's reticence about opening up to the wider European public comes amid a war of optics between particularly the politically captured
- [Exchange of views on the public access to documents with the European Ombudsman](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3452) - Civil liberties MEPs to exchange views with European Ombudsman on the functioning and future of the access to documents regulation. LIBE Members will hold an exchange of views with the European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, on the topic of public access to documents. The exchange of views will take place on 21 April, between 15:00-15:45h. The
- [European Ombudsman conference: Technological change, legal reform?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3113) - Part II: The expert panel sees problems aplenty with Regulation 1049/2001 – but not everyone is keen to trade it for something else. Conference signals start of a broader call to reopen revision of EU access to documents law. Second part of two reports on where the EU stands with access to documents. Helen Darbishire,
- [War in Ukraine requires EU to urgently step up its sanctions implementation transparency, NGO says](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3433) - The NGO Access Info Europe calls on EU to implement disclosure commitments to safeguard effectiveness of sanctions against Russian oligarchs. In the interest of timely publicity for the tabled policy question, the following text comprises a verbatim reproduction of a press statement of the Madrid-based NGO Access Info Europe released on 2 March 2022. Please
- [Recent academic publications on EU transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3419) - A number of recent academic publications emphasise new avenues of inquiry related to strategic (in)visibilities in EU decision making. Two recent academic publications and a special issue address aspects of government communication and transparency of EU policy making and politics. These publications signal a shift in attention to new areas of inquiry touched by questions
- [Transparency of MEP lobby contacts stalled again](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1646) - The decision to continue to allow MEPs to interact under the radar with unregistered lobbyists fits into a longstanding pattern of pushback against transparency advances from the parliament's centrist parties. The European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee (Afco) on 12 April approved a report on enhancing the transparency of parliamentary proceedings while removing most of its
- [#RecoveryFiles: investigative journalists seek to shed light on the allocation of RRF funds](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3378) - Pan-European journalistic project, led by Dutch outlet Follow the Money, seeks to lay bare the secretive decision making around the Covid recovery billions. On 9 February, a collective of investigative journalists from 17 EU member states specialising in EU political decision making launched its first wave of publications about the EU's secrecy around decision making
- [EU transparency news reports in 2021](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1288) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Below, you can find the news digest for 2021. Central topics in news coverage were opacities caused by the corona pandemic and the rule of law crisis, and the potential reform of the EU's access
- [European Ombudsman: failure to search for requested text messages Von der Leyen constitutes maladministration](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3343) - European Commission says it will study the decision and respond within the deadline set by the European Ombudsman. On Friday 28 January, the European Ombudsman issued her findings in an access to documents complaint case. The complainant, Austrian journalist Alexander Fanta, had been refused access to text messages exchanged between Commission President Von der Leyen
- [Controversy over Von der Leyen's secret text exchanges with Pfizer CEO](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3291) - Text messages that apparently sealed a deal between Commission and Pfizer early 2021 are slowly becoming the centre of broader transparency questions. The answer drew the ire of In 't Veld, who, upon receiving the written response, posted a tweet calling for the European Ombudsman to speak out on the matter. The Ombudsman is currently
- ["Little more than transparency" - MEPs criticise political ads regulation proposal](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3318) - Unusually for political discourse, transparency is not considered the holy grail where targeted online political advertising is concerned. "A kind of placebo" In a recent debate of the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee, the Commission legislative proposal concerning targeted political advertising was discussed. Yet in a rare showing, various legislators were unconvinced by the Commission's
- [ECI researcher provides expert testimony in Dutch Parliament's European Affairs Committee](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3347) - Round table on EU information provision hears Aidan O'Sullivan (European Ombudsman), Maarten Hillebrandt (Eric Castrén Institute and Meijers Committee) and Mendeltje van Keulen (Hague University of Applied Science) provide testimony on public access to documents and parliamentary scrutiny. On 2 February 2022, the Dutch Parliament's European Affairs Committee held a roundtable discussion on EU information
- [Podcast takes stock of the prospects of EU transparency reform](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3258) - EU Scream podcast gets its teeth into the European transparency policy question. A recent episode of self-styled 'progressive politics podcast' EU Scream deals with the intricacies of current access to documents policy in the EU context. The episode, entitled Transparency, Interrupted, takes a closer look at Regulation 1049/2001 on access to the EU institutions' documents,
- [Commission desists from appealing court ruling following plea by NGO coalition](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3237) - Hungarian and European NGOs sent letter to Commissioner Vera Jourová urging her to let the politically sensitive Homoki access ruling concerning misapplication of funds become final. Delicate OLAF investigation implicating associates close to Hungarian PM Orbán The current story begins with allegations of corruption implicating the Hungarian government. After a public street lighting renovation project
- [Confidentiality of Council's national tax laws discussion group under scrutiny](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3207) - Notorious Code of Conduct Group has operated in secrecy for twenty-four years, a norm that is again called into question now that the group's mandate comes up for revision. The group has been widely criticised for the limited progress it has made towards its mission over the past decades. This failure is often associated with
- [Commission launches proposal for transparency of political advertising](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3181) - Proposal, if passed, would oblige all political advertisements in the EU to enclose a transparency notice with vital information regarding origin, audience, and costs involved. On 25 November, the European Commission introduced a legislative package containing several proposals for laws aimed at strengthening democracy and the integrity of electoral processes in the EU. The laws
- [European Ombudsman conference discusses access to documents law in changed technological context](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3081) - Part I: In the high-level panel, everyone agrees to move forward – in their own direction. Conference signals start of a broader call to reopen revision of EU access to documents law. First part of two reports on where the EU stands with access to documents. The speakers in this panel all represented one of
- [IIA on a 'mandatory' lobby register published in the Official Journal](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2559) - Publication concludes a negotiating process that lasted more than four years. Critics still see many obstacles to the proper public scrutiny of lobbyists' influence on EU decision making. On Friday 11 June, the Interinstitutional Agreement (IIA) on a mandatory transparency register, concluded between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission was published in the
- [Making it seem better than it is](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2603) - Comparison of European Parliament’s and the Council’s access to documents annual reports reveals discrepancies in the information shared, Sofia Sormunen shows. It is the time of the year again when the EU institutions annual reports on access to documents are published pursuant to Regulation 1049/2001 article 17. Well, the Council’s and European Parliament’s (EP) reports
- [Council working group to hold closed-door round table on decision-making transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2668) - Confidential informal remote meeting organised by the Portuguese Presidency contrasts with large-scale event organised by the 2019 Finnish Presidency. On Tuesday afternoon, the Council's so-called Working Party on Information (WPI) will hold an informal video conference which will include a round table on the subject matter of Council decision-making transparency. The round table, announced in
- [Council adopts new voluntary guidelines on Presidency sponsorship](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2695) - Guidelines contain non-compelling language and continue to suggest that the Presidency is not part of the Council. Brussels-based civil society organisations specialising in corporate lobbying and public decision making ethics have repeatedly protested the practice and publicised the matter. Today, they again spoke out against the latest guidelines, describing them as 'blunt', 'weak', and full
- [European Parliament monitoring group report calls out Frontex transparency malpractice](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2768) - Scathing report criticises Frontex for fundamental rights breaches and malpractices reducing transparency. The report forms a new escalation in an extremely difficult and tense period between Frontex and the European Parliament which oversees its activities. A previous resolution criticising Frontex malpractice appeared as recent as a few days ago.
- [The New Statute of the European Ombudsman and Transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2787) - The European Parliament has recently adopted a new Statute for the European Ombudsman. Nikos Vogiatzis argues that, while this is a welcome development, the new provisions mainly codify or solidify existing practices, and therefore may not be seen as a significant strengthening of the European Ombudsman’s mandate. Introduction After a long process of discussion and
- [EU transparency summer reading](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2805) - The Open Government in the EU Blog is taking a summer break. For the meantime, we have put together a digest of the best blog contributions of the past three months. Happy summer reading! The EU makes the Transparency Register mandatory but we expected better EU communication – the Elephant in the Room Making it
- [European Ombudsman launches stakeholder survey on access to documents](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2816) - Survey comes in the 20th anniversary year of the EU's first access to documents act (Regulation 1049/2001), and ahead of a dedicated conference to be held in November. Last week, European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly circulated a survey related to EU access to documents requests to "key stakeholders". The survey, which any interested parties are welcome
- [Court limits protection of inspections exception in case against OLAF](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2825) - EU spending watchdog OLAF loses access to documents case against Hungarian civil association after Court finds the protection of inspections cannot serve as a reason to refuse access after such inspections are closed. Consequently, OLAF's decision to deny access to the entire document was annulled. Nevertheless, it remains in principle still free to justify non-disclosure
- [Meijers Committee organises seminar on democratic challenges of EU intransparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2841) - Committee of legal experts invites EU transparency policy stakeholders for an exchange of views on concepts, objectives, and pressing issues of the day. On Friday 17 September, the Netherlands-based Standing Committee of Experts on International Immigration, Refugee, and Criminal Law -better known as the Meijers Committee- held a seminar on EU transparency policy as part
- [Member states & EU actors jump packed transparency bandwagon](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2850) - All 27 EU member states, four responsible Commissioners, the European Ombudsman, and a cross-party coalition of 37 MEPs sign up to vaguely-worded "Transparency Pledge". A zero-risk, feel-good bandwagon? The declaration is inter alia displayed on the websites of the Danish, Dutch, Irish, and Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For these member states, the issue is
- [NGO-run EU access request portal marks 10th anniversary](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2867) - Over the first decade of its existence, AsktheEU.org has built a strong reputation among EU civil society, journalists, and researchers. Introducing civic tech into the EU transparency discussion On 28 September 2011, the Spanish NGO Access Info Europe launched the AsktheEU.org platform at a European Ombudsman event marking the International Day for Universal Access to
- [European Ombudsman to hold conference on the future of access to EU documents](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2889) - High-level and expert panels to explore the impact of new technologies on the functioning and expectations of the transparency concept. On 15 November, the office of the European Ombudsman will hold a hybrid conference in Brussels entitled "Access to documents: what's next?". Transparency in an age of technological revolution The Ombudsman's conference will focus primarily
- [Law professor requests Court of Justice to grant him right to web stream rule of law case hearings](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2896) - Professor Alberto Alemanno (HEC/NYU) tells Open Government in the EU Blog how he deems the current European rule of law standoff an excellent opportunity to raise the Court of Justice’s own transparency lacuna. Said cases were brought by respectively Hungary and Poland against the European Parliament and the Council, to contest the legality of these
- [Can the EU’s policies against fake news restore trust in journalism?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2946) - When reading the EU’s policy papers to tackle fake news, one might get the impression that digitalization and fake news are the main culprits of the current challenges to journalism. Keeping the EU’s market-oriented regulations for the media sector in mind, however, Asimina Michailidou, Elisabeth Eike and Hans-Jörg Trenz argue that the understanding of media
- [Parliament and NGOs challenge the Council over secrecy of national fishing quotas control](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2972) - Ongoing legislative trilogue negotiations expected to see a tug-of-war after Council favours a roll-back of a more ambitious Commission proposal advanced further by European Parliament amendments. At stake is the transparency of national controls of fisheries' compliance with EU quotas. Meanwhile, trilogue negotiations were opened at the beginning of September by the Slovenian Presidency. These
- [Call for Expressions of Interest: The Shared Management of EU Funds in Comparative Perspective](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3009) - Three researchers organise exploratory workshop in Brussels in 28-29 April 2022, with long-term aim of creating research community in the area of NGEU spending implementation. The current rule of law crisis has understandably brought to the fore discussions on whether the use of the Recovery and Resilience Funds (RRF) should be tied to respect for rule of
- [Council faces new wave of judicial scrutiny of its access to documents policy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2981) - Three recent cases mark an end to the lull in access litigation against the Council of recent years. In the span of just half a year, the Council has moved from carefree slumber to intense judicial scrutiny of its manner of discharge of the public's right of access to its decision-making documents. Recent legal challenges
- [Civil rights NGO to hold online event on accessing information in the EU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3053) - Event on Friday 18 November, organised by London-based NGO Statewatch, is held as part of the Festival of Social Sciences at the University of Bristol. On Friday 18 November, from 7pm - 8pm CET (Brussels time), Statewatch organises a free-of-charge online event on how to exercise your right as a citizen of access to information
- [European Ombudsman calls on Commission and Council to take more transparent stance in rule of law crisis](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=3017) - In her acceptance speech of Europe Prize awarded by the University of Flensburg, O'Reilly warns of loss of legitimacy in citizens' eyes if EU's rule of law standards are not applied transparently. The Czech writer Milan Kundera wrote “We go through the present blindfolded... Only later, when the blindfold is removed and we examine the
- [Frontex, secrecy and security: control of information as strategy for institutional preservation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2917) - Frontex, a large and growing EU agency at the epicentre of the securitisation paradigm, has in recent months become embroiled in a deepening controversy over its alleged lack of transparency and accountability. The current path chosen by Frontex will eventually lead to an institutional crisis, Frontex experts Jane Kilpatrick and Mariana Gkliati argue. Frontex, the
- [Twenty years of Regulation 1049/2001: Twenty key figures](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2287) - Yesterday, Regulation 1049/2001 turned 20. Today twenty years ago, it was put on the books. Time to take stock of the EU's first access to documents law with twenty key figures. On Sunday, "Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and the Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents", colloquially
- [Revision of press policy floated by Commission makes waves](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2175) - Commission proposal to also allow non-Brussels based press into off-the-record briefings is criticised by Brussels journalists for undermining the trust relationship required for quality journalism - while others question the press corps' commitment to openness. The Von der Leyen Commission is a social media-focussed Commission, much to the frustration of some EU reporters. Proposed revisions
- [Presidency sponsorship guidelines watered down at last minute](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2777) - Previous-day version of textual proposal shows expansive language removed from finally adopted guidelines. A last-minute amendment of the so-called "Guidance for Presidency best practice on the use of sponsorship" was watered down a week before the meeting in which it was adopted. This has emerged from documents disclosed by the Council today, after this blog
- [New Parliament resolution again berates Frontex for its intransparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2760) - Resolution is European representatives' second formal admonition against agency's opacity within the space of a few months. On 8 July, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the annual report of the functioning of the Schengen area, in which it criticises Frontex for its intransparency. The admonition follows after another Parliament resolution earlier this year,
- [Parliament rebukes Frontex for role in recent access proceedings](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1890) - Non-binding resolution accompanying decision to postpone discharge of Frontex' 2019 budget expresses concern about potential 'chilling effect'. On 28 April, the European Parliament passed a decision and resolution regarding the discharge in respect of Frontex' budget for the financial year 2019. The Parliament decided not to grant discharge for the moment, pending a long list
- [New Commission communication on law making calls for 'increased transparency'](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2041) - Latest Commission communication appears to reframe transparency commitment made in the 2016 interinstitutional agreement on better lawmaking. On 29 April, the Commission presented a new communication entitled "Better Regulation: Joining forces to make better laws". In its own words, the communication is intended to "[propose] a number of further improvements not least to ensure our
- [Whistleblower protection in the European Union requires a shift in mentality](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2114) - A new article in the open-access journal Politics & Governance by historian Joris Gijsenbergh shows that politicians and officials need to be convinced of the value of transparency. Without a mentality shift, the EU Whistleblower Directive and national legal measures will fail to offer whistleblowers sufficient protection against retaliation. History teaches us that appreciation for
- [Council approves transparency register package; signing of IIA imminent](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2129) - Much-maligned interinstitutional agreement on a mandatory transparency register soon to be published in the Official Journal. On 6 May, the Council officially adopted a package of rules governing the transparency and access of lobbyists to its institution. Since the European Parliament had already done so in April, this act paves the way for the official
- [Widening and Deepening: Coming of Age Challenges for EU Transparency Anno 2021](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2233) - EUI webinar examines how the 2001 regulation permitting public access to documents has impacted transparency within the EU. Next week, the EU marks the twentieth anniversary of its first public access to documents law, Regulation 1049/2001. Ahead of a webinar organised by the Eric Castrén Institute at the University of Helsinki on Friday 28 May,
- [The EU makes the Transparency Register mandatory but we expected better](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2162) - Newly agreed interinstitutional joint lobby register is an important step, but the regulation of lobbying does not stop there, Fabio Rotondo argues. After five years of negotiations, the EU succeeded in upgrading its own lobbying regime. The Commission, the Parliament, and the Council finally came to an agreement to make the Transparency Register mandatory for
- [EUI seminar marks 20 years of EU access law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2260) - Seminar brings together several 'old hands' in the legal intricacies of public access to documents in the EU. An uptick of 'the new normal' that has emerged in the academic world during the Covid-19 pandemic is the preponderance of webinars that allow participants from all over the world to meet and discuss issues of interest.
- [EU communication – the Elephant in the Room](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2293) - The need to communicate political achievements and to communicate them well is a pivotal but overlooked lesson in the EU, Reneta Shipkova argues. Her recent book provides concrete tips to remedy this hiatus. Politics is communication The European Union has an age-old problem with the way in which it is perceived. To improve the image
- [Is there a relationship between Facebook, fake news and support for the EU? It’s complicated.](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2628) - It is often believed that spending more time on social media makes a citizen more skeptical of the EU. Martin Moland and Asimina Michailidou argue that this assumption is too simplistic. A fresh look at a common assumption One of the most hotly debated issues of the last years has been how social media has
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- [Regulation 1049/2001 anniversary event now online for viewback](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2415) - TrUE / OGEU blog webinar marking the 20th anniversary of Regulation 1049/2001 on public access to EU documents can be viewed back on the Eric Castrén Institute website until 31 August. Webinar streamable until 31 August On Friday 28 May, an webinar, organised by the Academy of Finland-funded TrUE project in cooperation with the Open
- [Council to appeal the Pech judgment](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2449) - Institution's step comes after its Legal Service advices member state ambassadors to initiate proceedings, on grounds left invisible to the public. On 26 May, Coreper gave the green light for the Council to appeal the General Court's ruling in the Pech v Council case, opening the way for it to bring proceedings. Under the Statute
- [Meijers Committee publishes note on proliferation of 'WK' documents in the Council](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2531) - Expert committee voices concern about the consequences of informal Council document category for transparency law and the democratic legitimacy of EU legislation. This week, the Meijers Committee published a note on the proliferation of a new type of informal document category in the Council in recent years. Note CM2107, entitled 'Working Documents' in the Council
- [Annual report underlines EU transparency obligations - even in times of Covid](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=2576) - European Ombudsman report reaffirms central place of all matters related to transparency in EU watchdog's work. On 18 May, the European Ombudsman published her Annual report on activities in 2020. It was a year marked by the Covid pandemic, complaints related to various aspects of transparency, and the 25th anniversary of the European Ombudsman's office.
- [Guide on exercising your access to documents rights in the EU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=338) - Earlier this year, the Madrid-based transparency advocacy organisation Access Info Europe released a manual for those seeking access to European Union documents. The Guide on Access EU Documents is particularly aimed at citizens and civil society, but also at academics and journalists. By explaining the administrative procedure underlying Regulation 1049/2001 (the EU's law on access to documents)
- [New article explores the relations between secrecy and executive dominance in the EU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=828) - The concept of the 'space to think' has since long offered an argument to EU decision makers to limit the transparency of decision-making processes. In a new article entitled "‘Integration without transparency’? Reliance on the space to think in the European Council and Council" published in the Journal of European Integration, Maarten Hillebrandt (Bielefeld University)
- [EU Court orders Frontex to reduce legal bill recuperated from transparency activists](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1690) - General Court decision draws a line under 22-month litigation saga between activists and EU border protection agency and indicates its willingness to protect access to justice in the field of access to documents. On 26 March, the General Court delivered its follow-up order in Izuzquiza and Semsrott v Frontex. The case formed the closing piece
- [The big lesson after ten years of EU transparency reforms? You will never get it right](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1064) - 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. On 1 December 2009, the
- [Presentations and discussions on EU transparency across North-Western Europe](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=836) - During the coming months, several presentations and/or discussions on transparency of the European Union are planned in which members of the Open Government project or affiliated researchers take part. On Wednesday 2 November, the Dutch Parliament's Standing Committee on European Affairs is to organise a roundtable discussion on the state of EU information provision. Invited
- [Coalition of actors criticises Commission's transparency initiative for falling short](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=720) - Recent days have seen a wave of criticism against the new Commission's transparency initiative. The recent campaign of lobbying watchdogs and critical EU actors follows after a conference on the topic, organised by EP vice-president Guillaume and a activist coalition called ALTER-EU, was held on 23 April in the EP. The conference focused on the
- [New publication: recent case law impacts on the Council's ability to negotiate in secrecy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=730) - Recent cases at the Court of Justice on Regulation 1049/01 on public access to Parliament, Council and Commission documents set new limits to confidentiality in the Council’s legislative and international negotiations, as Vigjilenca Abazi and Maarten Hillebrandt argue in a recent case note. The case note, entitled "The legal limits to confidential negotiations: Recent case
- [Inch by inch, the Council crawls towards greater transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=735) - A new internal note reveals renewed efforts by a small group of member states to take Council transparency forward, Maarten Hillebrandt reports. The embattled EU is currently dealing with issues within, beyond, and on its borders all at the same time. Within its borders, the fresh conservative government of prime minister Cameron has made its
- [Successful Fourth Global Conference on Transparency Research held in Lugano](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=742) - From 4-6 June, the Fourth Global Conference on Transparency Research was held at the Università dela Svizzera italiana in Lugano. The conference was again a large success. Some 60 papers were presented, while the conference was attended by almost 80 researchers and practitioners from five continents. The organisers were pleased to note the presence of
- [Paper on transparency in EU intergovernmental institutions](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=748) - On Friday 25 September, Open Government in the EU researcher Maarten Hillebrandt, together with dr. Stéphanie Novak (Université Catholique Lille) will present a paper at a workshop on the central role of the European Council in recent EU decision making, held at LUISS Guido Carli (Rome). The paper, which deals with the role of the
- [Netherlands takes up the EU Presidency amidst both ambitions and concerns over transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=772) - The European Commission will meet the Dutch chambers of parliament behind closed doors, at the latter's request. Yesterday, the European Commission arrived in the Netherlands for a series of meetings at the opening of the Dutch EU Presidency that last for the first half of 2016. An opening ceremony, including the taking of the traditional
- [Dutch Presidency of the EU to host "transparency unconference"](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=798) - The Dutch government, which currently holds the Presidency of the EU, has recently announced that it will host a "transparency unconference" in Amsterdam on 1 June. The event, which has its own dedicated website is co-organised by the Dutch NGO Open State Foundation, which has as its mission the promotion of open data. The term
- [Fifth Global Conference on Transparency Research Announced](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=821) - The fifth Global Conference on Transparency Research has been announced. It is due to take place at the University of Limerick, Ireland, from 19-21 June 2017. The organisation this time is in the hands of an tricontinental team of researchers from the Universities of Limerick, Baltimore (USA), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Makerere (Kampala, Uganda).
- [Court further strengthens EU institutions' prerogative in determining access to member state-submitted documents](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=878) - A new court case further strengthen's the EU institutions' hands in granting access to a member state's documents against its will. In a case against the Commission, initiated by France, the General Court confirmed that the Commission acted lawfully by granting public access to a series of documents submitted to it by the member state.
- [EU Commission announces new transparency measures in response to calls from NGO community](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=881) - Last Monday, 13 September 2017, EU Commission President Juncker held his annual state of the Union speech in which he laid out his vision and priorities for the EU in the coming period. Calls for and responses to greater transparency are a recurrent theme in discussions on how to improve the EU. Consequently, it comes
- [New Article on EU Transparency Policy and Interinstitutional Politics](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=893) - A new article in the latest issue of Politics & Governance deals with the role of transparency in interinstitutional politics. The question of transparency is widely regarded as a thermometer of the relation between the Council of the EU and the public at large. Relatively little attention however has been devoted to the implications of
- [New case note on access to documents case related to the EU's emissions trade scheme](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=905) - "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,
- [European Ombudsman inquiry criticises Council's legislative opacity](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=931) - Today European Ombudsman O'Reilly presented the outcomes of her own-initiative inquiry of the transparency of Council preparatory bodies in the negotiation of EU legislative acts. Significantly, the Ombudsman found instances of maladministration, which signifies the strongest sanction her office can provide. The European Ombudsman's concludes her inquiry with the observation that the current way in which
- [Landmark access case requires Parliament to publish legislative negotiation documents fully and immediately](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=947) - In the landmark De Capitani case delivered on Thursday 22 March, the EU's General Court requires the European Parliament to publish legislative negotiation documents (known by EU insiders as the "trilogue four-column document") not only fully, but also immediately. Case T-540/15 was brought by Emilio de Capitani, who had been refused access to the full
- [Council of EU undergoing full reorientation on transparency question](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=968) - On Wednesday 18 July 2018, the committee of ambassadors of the member states to the EU (Coreper) held an orientational debate about the need for reforms of the Council's transparency policy, thus Agence Europe reports. The debate, which appears as the opening move in a further series of discussions about potential changes to the Council's internal
- [Dissertation on EU Council transparency wins Dutch-Flemmish annual dissertation prize](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=981) - 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. The Van Poelje Prize, which is named after Gerrit Abraham van Poelje, one of the founders of the
- [Transparency news reports in 2018](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=963) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Please find below the news digest for 2018. Recent news reports on EU transparency can also be found on the sidebar to the right of this post. See also the news report digests for 2020,
- [New article on the trade-off between transparency and efficiency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1005) - A new article in the Journal of European Public Policy takes a closer look at the purported trade-off between transparency and efficiency. The tension between transparency and efficiency in the context of the Council of the European Union is as often invoked as it remains unclarified. In a new article in the Journal of European
- [Dutch parliament solicits advice on EU transparency from Venice Commission](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1010) - On 20 February, the Dutch parliament adopted a motion concerning the EU's transparency policy. The motion underlines the fundamental democratic importance of transparency as well as the risk-sharing and redistributive character of the Eurozone, followed by a request to the Venice Commission to issue an advice on "possible shortcomings and possible improvements to the democratic
- [MEPs publish open letter to upcoming Council Presidency concerning transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1016) - Today, 97 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) submitted a letter to Finnish government which will take up the rotating EU Council Presidency as of 1 July, urging it to make lobby transparency a central theme in its policy agenda. The letter, written by prominent transparency proponents and MEPs charged with transparency policy questions (including
- [Transparency reforms "better served" by withholding access, access applicant is told](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1030) - The Council's ongoing transparency overhaul continues to attract public attention. Last summer, the Council entered a reorientation process of its internal access to documents policy. The internal reforms, which are still ongoing, were sparked by a highly critical report published by the European Ombudsman, as well as a court judgment which found current access practices
- [Online workshop explores the theoretical case 'Against Transparency'](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1118) - Transparency –openness of government– is a value that no one wants to be seen pleading against. Or is it? An online workshop, organised by the Academy of Finland-funded research project TrUE explores the case ‘against transparency’. The workshop is open to the public, upon registration. A lively understream of academic research in law and the
- [ACELG scholar comments on recent access to documents case (Breyer v Commission)](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=675) - On 27 February, the General Court of the EU delivered another ruling on the EU right of public access to documents. In case T-118/12 (Breyer v Commission), German Pirate Party member Patrick Breyer (pictured) took action against the Commission's decision not to grant it access to documents, saying that these documents, being held by the
- [Happy holidays](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=615) - The Open Government in the EU blog wishes its readers happy holidays and a clear vision in 2015!
- [Transparency news reports September-December 2014](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=560) - Since after the summer of 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog is keeping a regularly updated overview of news reports related to transparency and access to documents in the context of the EU. News reports are collected through quick scans on Google news and the most relevant websites. While this news scan is
- [EU Ombudsman puts pressure on the Commission to improve transparency of expert groups](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=641) - EU Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, has recently demanded improvements in the Commission’s practice of consulting Expert Groups. Among other things, the Ombudsman has demanded legally binding rules to improve transparency and a balanced composition of the Commission expert groups. This recent initiative is part of the Ombudsman’s ongoing investigation into the systemic issues of the Commission’s
- [Presentations on Council democracy & transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=645) - Early March sees two presentations on the interactions between transparency, democracy, and governance in the Council of the EU, in Lausanne and Brussels. On Wednesday 4 March, Open Government in the EU team member Maarten Hillebrandt will give a presentation at the University of Lausanne with the title "Babylonian speech confusion? Transparency's Role in EU
- [Discussing the space to think in the context of the European Council](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=571) - Does transparency come at the expensive of efficient decision-making? The case for a trade-off between and open and efficient decision-making has certainly been made on innumerable occasions. But whether it is in fact well grounded has, surprisingly, been subjected to rather limited systematic scrutiny. Political scientist Stéphanie Novak (Université Catholique en Lille) and Open Government
- [Commission moves towards greater lobbying transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=582) - Within a month in office, the incoming Juncker Commission announces its first tangible steps to increase disclosure relating to its lobbying contacts. In an interesting move, Commissioner Timmermans (Better Regulation) two weeks ago circulated an internal note, which was soon leaked to the press, explaining the pending change. The note argued that “while contact with
- [2015 Global Conference on Transparency Research website opened](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=602) - The fourth Global Conference on Transparency Research will take place in Lugano from 4 to 6 June 2015. A conference website with all necessary information has recently been opened. The GCTR is a conference that assembles leading academics, policy makers, and interest group representatives to "discuss current policies on access to information, transparency relationships among
- [Sophie in 't Veld MEP writes op-ed on lack of transparency in the EU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=505) - Sophie in 't Veld, a Dutch member of the European Parliament for the Democrats '66 / ALDE party, laments the apparent lack of EU transparency in an op-ed on European news website Euractiv.com. "Trust in government and politics, both national and European, is at an all-time low, and the key to restoring trust is transparency."
- [European Ombudsman calls for "revolving doors" register](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=510) - The European institutions must provide more openness concerning their decision making and transfers of civil servants to the private sector, European Ombudsman O’Reilly stated at the presentation of her annual report for 2013. [In Dutch, translation here] EU-Ombudsman dringt aan op draaideur-register 25 september 2014 De instellingen van de Europese Unie moeten meer openheid geven
- [Incoming Commission Vice-President Timmermans calls for more transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=521) - In his hearing before the European Parliament yesterday, incoming Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans pledged to introduce a change of culture into the EU's decision making. This, he argued, includes much broader transparency than has been the case up until now. The European Parliament, as well as the Brussels-based press corps, responded very positively to the
- [Council declassifies TTIP negotiating mandate](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=538) - Nearly a year and a half after its drafting, on 9 October 2014, the Council declassified and disclose the Commission's negotiating mandate for the free trade talks with the United States better known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Maarten Hillebrandt The disclosure comes after much public controversy that accompanied the various rounds
- [Transparency of EP committee votes kept off the agenda](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=483) - The EP's two largest political groupings, the EPP (people's parties) and S&D (social democrats), are keeping the item of public voting in parliamentary committees off the agenda. Thus reported the EUObserver last week. The proposal entailed a change to the rules of procedure, and would make it compulsory for parliamentary committee's final votes in legislative procedures
- [Transparency International's Brussels office publishes integrity report](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=495) - On 29 April, the Brussels-based EU office of international NGO Transparency International launched the first-ever comprehensive integrity report on the European institutions. The report, which covers most of the European institutions and a number of key agencies and bodies in 246 pages, seeks to provide the state of the art in the EU's laws and
- [ESF Workshop on Government Transparency explores synergies of rich research field](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=499) - On 30 June and 1 July, researchers from several European countries and academic disciplines convened in Lausanne for a workshop on government transparency research. The workshop was convened by prof. Martial Pasquier of IDHEAP (Institut de hautes études en administration publique, host research centre), prof. Albert Meijer (Utrecht School of Governance and member of the
- [European Court of Justice upholds judgement in Access Info Europe appeal](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=461) - The Court of Justice of the EU dismisses in full the Council's appeal against an earlier judgement in the much publicised Access Info Europe case. The long awaited judgement of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) in the Access Info Europe appeal was finally handed down last week, on 17 October. After losing a case against
- [Questionnaire on Open Council Meetings, Part II](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=467) - And the results are... In an earlier blog post, Open Government in the EU reported that the Council Secretariat had taken the initiative of a questionnaire among Member State delegations concerning attitudes and practices around situations where the Council meets and legislates in the open. Just over a month later, the results of the questionnaire
- [General Court Orders Partial Disclosure in Access to ECHR Accession Negotiation Documents Case](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=448) - Law professor offers constitutional arguments for the disclosure of important Council documents. The General Court orders the Council to reconsider the scope of partial disclosure, but only on procedural grounds. By Maarten Hillebrandt On Thursday 12 September, the General Court gave its judgment in Besselink v Council (T-331/11). In January 2011, Leonard Besselink (pictured), then
- [Secretariat of the Council of the EU Investigates Impact of Open Meetings](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=456) - On Monday 16 September, the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU circulated a questionnaire concerning the effects of open meetings. In a document that can be found on the Council's public register, the Secretariat presented the Brussels delegations of the Member States with five questions concerning the way they operate under a regime
- [Utrecht Dissertation on Transparency in EU Law Awarded Cum Laude](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=311) - Anoeska Buijze of the Utrecht Law School defended her doctoral dissertation entitled "The Principle of Transparency in EU Law" at Utrecht's Academy Building on Friday 15 March. She was awarded cum laude for her considerable efforts at structuring a complex legal concept of EU law. In her dissertation, Buijze uses a triple concept of the
- [AG Opinion in Access Info Europe appeal: the transparency saga continues](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=324) - Last week, Advocate General Cruz Villalón delivered his opinion in the Council's appeal against the General Court's Access Info Europe judgement of 2011. (For a background to this case, see an earlier post on this website.) AG Cruz Villalón's opinion, which can be accessed here, marks another move in the longstanding debate about the role
- [European Ombudsman Diamandouros prepares for retirement; sounds note of cautionary optimism about future of EU transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=329) - Yesterday, the European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros, addressed the media about his time in office as the citizen's advocate of good administration. Diamandouros will retire on 1 October 2013. Diamandouros, 70, of Greek nationality, stated that during his time in office, he "has witnessed the slow erosion of a dominating culture of secrecy among the EU
- ["EU Ombudsman Blasts EC for Denying Document Access"](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=271) - Issues of integration, especially of economic integration, and the attached debate on national sovereignty are ranking high among the EU's perceived transparency gaps these days. With integration under pressure, markets and civil society nervously follow the news. The UK's current lukewarmness towards the European project and considerations to rephrase the terms of its engagement are
- [Special workshop "Legitimacy 2.0: Transparency Online", Belo Horizonte (Brazil)](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=282) - E-transparency is currently one the fastest-growing branches of transparency research. As Albert Meijer of the Open Government research group argues: "Modern day transparency is Internet transparency." The special workshop Legitimacy 2.0: Transparency Online allows participants to discuss this topic in the context of the philosophy of (social) rights. The workshop is introduced as follows: "Transparency
- [A Watershed in the History of European Integration](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=254) - In the 1980s, Irish Foreign Minister Dooge chaired a technical EU committee that proved instrumental in the move towards the Single European Act and eventually, the European Union. In the 1980s, a committee was set up to deal with the subject of institutional reform. As Ireland was just assuming the presidency (1984), former minister of
- [Dalligate tests the European Parliament’s oversight over the Commission](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=267) - A few weeks ago, the European institutions were shaken by a series of events which, at first sight, could constitute the plot of an institutional thriller. Indeed, Dalligate is a test of strength for parliamentary oversight of the Commission, Maarten Hillebrandt argues. On 16 October, after an investigation into allegations of corruption conducted by the
- [Talks on access regulation collapse; Presidency to try an alternative route](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=214) - Talks on the revision of the European access to documents regulation have collapsed. The Danish presidency has been unable to reconcile the widely diverging views of parties around the table. Last week, as the Danish presidency presented a compromise proposal, the atmosphere became particularly vicious. The ministers of justice of Sweden and Finland in an
- [Denmark to revive transparency dossier](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=189) - The Danish presidency which took over on 1 January, will attempt to make further progress with the embattled transparency dossier. The Jack of transparency has been out of the box in the EU ever since the Commission presented a proposal to revise the current law on access to documents, in 2008. Regulation 1049, which was adopted under
- [Open Government in the EU group researcher guest editor of special transparency issue IRAS](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=202) - Dr. Albert Meijer of the Open Government in the EU research team has edited the latest edition of the International Review of Administrative Sciences which goes by the title: "Government transparency: creating clarity in a confusing conceptual debate". The IRAS special issue is the fruit of a symposium on government transparency that was held at
- [Erna Scholtes defends PhD thesis on Dutch political understanding of transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=205) - Last Monday, Erna Scholtes defended a thesis on the emerging understanding of the idea of transparency over the past decades. Scholte works as senior consultant at Dutch public consultancy firm Twynstra & Gudde. Over the past years she worked on her research project as an external researcher at Tilburg University. For this research, she analysed
- [Access to Documents in the EU Workshop](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=154) - Practitioners, watchdogs and activists speak up on EU transparency. In February 2011, the Irish Society for European Law (ISEL) and Transparency International Ireland organised a workshop on the state of Access to Documents in the EU. Lectures were given by Bart Driessen (Legal service of the Council), Marc Maes (Deputy head of transparency unit, Commission), Nikiforos Diamandouros (European Ombudsman) and
- [Government Transparency and Trust](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=170) - This morning, Utrecht School of Government researcher Stephan Grimmelikhuijsen was awarded a doctorate for his dissertation on transparency and trust. In his dissertation, Grimmelikhuijsen delved into the complexities of a widely held expectation of transparency: that citizens will trust their government more if they have more information about it. In order to study this question,
- [Finally, the First Global Conference on Transparency Research](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=126) - On 19 and 20 May 2011, the first Global Conference on Transparency Research was held at Rutgers University, Newark, USA. This was the first conference on transparency matters on a global scale, in many ways very relevant, one might even say overdue, in the light of such current developments as the reform of the EU
- [Transatlantic Conference on Transparency Research 2012: Call for papers](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=131) - On 7-9 June 2012, the second Transatlantic Conference on Transparency Research will be held at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. The Utrecht School of Governance, in which the Open Government in the EU research team is based, will host the conference. A call for papers has now gone out. The deadline for proposals is 1 December
- [EP Passes First Reading on Revision Procedure of Public Access to Documents Regulation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=147) - Yesterday, the European Parliament formally passed its first reading in the revision procedure on Regulation 1049/2001. Regulation 1049/2001 has been in place for over ten years now, and has regulated the public's access to community documents. When adopted, it significantly improved citizens' access to the EU, making the institutions more transparent. Since then, it has functioned
- [Public Matters: Government Transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=97) - This year, the Utrecht School of Governance (USG) celebrates its tenth anniversary. As part of the festive programme which has been taking place throughout 2010, the USG will hold a conference synthesising past interests and achievements of the department, while also looking into future fields of research. All of this will take place on Friday
- [Access Info Europe releases report on EU transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=113) - On 21 March of this year, Access Info Europe, a Madrid-based advocacy organisation favouring greater access for citizen to government information, published a report on the state of play in the EU's transparency policy. In their report, AIE had wanted to list the positions of all of the EU's 27 member state governments in the
- [Dutch Access to Documents (WOB) Controversy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=119) - Not only in the EU is a debate (or should we say, battle) still ongoing over the meaning and usefulness of transparency. Also in the Netherlands has a member of government sought to reopen a fundamental discussion on the current WOB-regime. WOB is the Dutch equivalent of FOI and comes from the Dutch term Wet Openbaarheid
- [New Year, New Transparency Register?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1235) - In mid-December 2020, after almost four years of on-off negotiations, agreement on a joint transparency register, also colloquially known as a lobbying register, was announced. But the deal stretches the definition of mandatory beyond normal uses of the word, Emilia Korkea-aho argues. Amidst the coronavirus chaos, the US presidential transition, concerns over Brexit and the
- [Further development of the EMU – should legitimacy come first or last?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=762) - By Päivi Leino-Sandberg The June 2012 European Council adopted a report setting out ‘four essential building blocks’ for the future Economic and Monetary Union (EMU): an integrated financial framework, an integrated budgetary framework, an integrated economic policy framework and, finally, strengthened democratic legitimacy and accountability (1). In its discussions, the European Council stressed that: Throughout the process,
- [Top Secret Intelligence in Europe: A Tipping Point in Luxembourg?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=261) - Kadi is back in Luxembourg and with a vengeance! The timing is interesting both for the case itself and more generally for highlighting the use of secret intelligence and evidence to justify detention and other sanctions, Deirdre Curtin argues. To start with the case itself, the oral hearing of the new Kadi case (Kadi 2)
- [Seminar on Transparency and Archives in the EU reveals a wide range of views](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=286) - A seminar was held at the European Union Institute in Florence on 25 January 2013 with the title: "Transparency and Access to the Records and Archives of the EU Institutions". The subject of EU transparency enjoys, it seems, never-ending attention from both EU civil servants and politicians, as well as academics. This time, the discussion
- [More secrecy and more summits means less democracy, says Professor of European Law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=344) - An article by professor Deirdre Curtin of the Open Government in the EU research group was published yesterday in the Irish Times. In the article, entitled "Secrecy at EU level is a challenge to democracy", Curtin, director of the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance, argues that current trends in EU decision-making, partly set in motion by the crisis,
- [Op-ed on current initiatives for enhancing EU's democratic transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=480) - Parliamentary disobedience in the the eurosceptic UK strengthens democratic oversight in the EU. On 4 Februari, an op-ed article by professor Deirdre Curtin of the Open Government in the EU project, entitled "How the British are making the EU more democratic", was published in Dutch daily Trouw. The article (in Dutch) is reproduced below. By
- [Special issue gathers insights on the efficiency dilemma in EU transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1473) - A new special issue in the open-access journal Politics & Governance explores the possibility of transparency 'excess' in the face of the European Union's constrained capacity to deliver. The special issue, entitled "Access or Excess? Redefining the Boundaries of Transparency in the EU’s Decision-Making", gathers 8 original academic pieces on the role of transparency in
- [New Book Asks Us to Reassess the Politics of Secrecy and Transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1514) - In her latest book, Radical Secrecy: The Ends of Transparency in Datafied America, Clare Birchall advocates for a rejection of the familiar opposition between “the promise of transparency” and “the threat posed by secrecy”. Her analysis of the pattern of visibility and opacity in the current Covid-19 pandemic lays bare governance risks that apply as
- [Maastricht's "Mr Transparency" Dies at 73](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1546) - Six-term eurosceptic MEP and EU transparency activist Jens-Peter Bonde died on 4 April. Jens-Peter Bonde sat in the European Parliament as a Danish member for six consecutive terms, from 1979 until 2008. 17 years of that stint were served in the college of presidents. Bonde combined a fabled knowledge of the law and institutional details
- [Inquiry of Council measures during pandemic finds transparency gaps - but also improvements](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1702) - Ombudsman considers that initial Council measures were "not in line with the Treaty" and regrets transparency gaps, but stops short of declaring maladministration. On 24 March 2021 European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly delivered her decision in the strategic (own-initiative inquiry) concerning the transparency of Council decision making during the Covid-19 pandemic. This inquiry was opened in
- [Applicant found right on all pleas in rule of law conditionality transparency case](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1726) - Laurent Pech, professor of European law and rule of law expert, had been refused access to a legal advice of the Council Legal Service related to rule of law conditionality regulation in 2019, in a decision that the General Court has now annulled. Background to the case The applicant, Laurent Pech, is a professor of
- [New Commission document portal in the making](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1865) - New one-stop, open-source document portal should be up and running by the summer. Previously announced plans of the Commission for the introduction of a new one-stop portal for access its documents are explicitly emerged in response to perceived shortfalls in the institutions' discharge of duties under Regulation 1049/2001 on access to documents and are in
- [Twenty years of Regulation 1049/2001 on Public Access to EU Documents: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1849) - This public online event is organised by the Academy of Finland-funded TrUE research project in collaboration with the Open Government in the EU blog. It brings together practitioners, civil society representatives, and academics to reflect on the first two decades and future of the EU's first access to documents law. Details about the webinar and
- [Foreign Lobbying in the European Union: The Limits of Transparency Regulation?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1302) - In today’s hyperglobal and networked world, laws created by regulatory superpowers can have legal effects across the world. It is no surprise, then, that those affected are keen to ensure that their voice is heard in rule-making. But is the EU prepared for such foreign lobbying activities? Emilia Korkea-aho argues that compared to another global
- [Transparency Word Cloud](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=102) - The image above is a word cloud of terms related to transparency. It is taken from a Danish blog concerned with communication through social media. In the blog post, an impression is given of what transparency might entail in the context of corporate organisations. A Swedish organisation anthropologist did research into this upcoming organisation paradigm. Interestingly, the word
- [Administrative and judicial oversight of trilogue transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1140) - An article by TrUE researchers Maarten Hillebrandt and Päivi Leino-Sandberg was recently published in the Journal of European Public Policy. The publication analyses the role played by the European Ombudsman and the Court of Justice in overseeing the fulfillment of transparency obligations in trilogue negotiations. The article, entitled Administrative and judicial oversight of trilogues addresses
- [Challenging the EU Institutions on Transparency – What is the Role of Academics?](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1278) - The Academy of Finland-funded research project "Transparency in the EU: from reaction to manifesto" aims at breaking down the practices assigned to transparency in the EU, laying bare shortcomings and seeking solutions. TrUE project researchers Päivi Leino-Sandberg and Maarten Hillebrandt provide some examples of the types of researcher-institution interactions to which the project has led,
- [TrUE webinar on academic challenges to access decisions](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1250) - Webinar "Challenging the European institutions on transparency: Analysing Leino-Sandberg v Parliament and two Ombudsman complaints" to take place on Thursday 18 February 2021. In this forthcoming interactive webinar, prof. Päivi Leino-Sandberg and dr. Maarten Hillebrandt of the Helsinki-based TrUE research project will reflect on their recent challenges against decisions by the European institutions to withhold
- [Dutch General Accounting Office: More Openness about EU's Expenditures](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=200) - The ongoing financial crisis in the Eurozone may not only have the effect of furthering integration, embodied in a Commissioner for national budgets. Dutch news website Nu.nl reports that the Dutch General Accounting Office has called for more openness about expenditure of European funds. According to the body which controls government expenditure, expenditure in the
- [Members of Dutch parliament present draft European Information Law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=869) - On 17 March, two members of the Dutch parliament presented a draft European Information Law. The draft law, drawn up by members Marit Maij and Anne Mulder, respective members of the then-ruling coalition parties the Social Democrats and the Liberals, intends to regulate the government's information duties towards the Dutch parliament where it concerns European
- [New Presidency, New Round of Talks](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=240) - The Cyprus presidency has entered the EU transparency battlefield. In an earlier post on this blog, I commented how the Danish presidency, in a race against the clock in the final weeks of June, failed to find a compromise on the transparency reform dossier that found sufficient support among both the member states and the European Parliament.
- [Public Consultation on New Dutch FOI Law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=238) - The European Public Sector Information Platform reports the public consultation round that has opened for the Dutch FOI law. The Dutch FOIA is generally considered fairly good example of a legal provision allowing citizens access to government information. On RTI-rating.org, an organisation that developed criteria to compare national FOIAs, the Netherlands scores in the top-middle range,
- [Former Council Spokesman on emergence of EU transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=184) - What did the first years of Council transparency look like? In this short video clip (in French), former Council spokesman Norbert Schwaiger elaborates on a number of factors that, according to him, contributed to furthering transparency in the Council context. See also Dooge Committee Marked a Watershed in the History of European Integration
- [Hungarian Journalist Prosecuted for Publishing Leaked Government-EU Communication](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=182) - That the transparency of relations between member states and EU Institutions can sometimes have unexpected and extreme consequences is proven by a current transparency row in Hungary. Journalist Attila Mong recently published a letter from EU Commission President Barrosso to Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán of 19 December 2011 on his blog, and now faces
- [AP tests freedom of information laws worldwide](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=137) - Today, the AP launched its first findings in a global test of national (and EU) FOIA laws. Collected data and news stories can found on the AP's facebook page.
- [7th Global Conference on Transparency Research postponed due to corona pandemic](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1222) - The 7th GCTR, originally planned to take place in May 2021 at the Copenhagen Business School, has been postponed for a year due to ongoing virological and logistical concerns related to the corona pandemic. The newly set date is 18-20 May 2022. Previously, we reported on this blog about the 7th GCTR and its closing
- [Panel on transparency at ECPR annual conference in Oslo](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=851) - The next ECPR annual conference, held in Oslo 6-9 September, will feature a section on government transparency. Entitled “Behind Closed Doors Re-Visited: Exploring the Transparency-Accountability-Representation Nexus”, the section, chaired by dr. Guri Rosén and Anne Elizabeth Stie, includes panels on (1) the relation between transparency, representation and accountability, (2) transparency in the European Parliament, (3)
- [Workshop on researching EU transparency in Helsinki](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=939) - On 22-23 March, the TrUE project (short for "Transparency in the EU – From Reaction to Manifesto?"), funded by the Academy of Finland, will host a methodology workshop around the subject of "how to research EU transparency". The workshop concentrates on the methodological aspects of the TrUE project. It brings together some of the central
- [Brussels workshop on the role of confidentiality in international negotiations](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=787) - On Friday 12 February, CERIM (Maastricht) will host a workshop on ‘The Law and Politics of Confidential EU Negotiations’ at the UM Campus in Brussels. The workshop is organised by dr. Abazi and dr. Aedriaensen (both CERIM). Central questions that will be asked at this workshop are: Why does the European Union negotiate (part of)
- [EUI transparency workshop leads to publication](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=490) - Last year in January, the European University Institute organised a roundtable on transparency and archiving, on the occassion of the EU's archive management being transferred to the EUI. This news blog reported on the workshop at that time, a blog which was later picked up by Russian scholarly circles. Little over a year further, one of
- [No Democracy in the European Union Without Transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=694) - The EU's accession to the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents would help strengthen transparency's supportive role of transparency, Miguel Angel Blanes Climent argues. Citizens do not ask the government for measures against corruption or lack of transparency. There are enough. We just want them to be enforced. There is no use
- [Transparency research activities](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=665) - On March 10 and 11, L'Institut du Monde et du Développement pour la Bonne Gouvernance Publique (IMODEV) at the Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, organizes an international symposium on government transparency. The conference, entitled "Freedom of Information, and Governmental Transparency, in the Open Government Era" aims to bring both social scientists and lawyers from across the Atlantic together to
- [HEC looks back at successful Third Global Conference on Transparency Research](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=474) - This year, the annual global conference on transparency research was organised by HEC Paris. Approximately 100 researchers convened to discuss issues of transparency research in a multitude of contexts, varying from the local to the European and even global level, from activist to government perspectives, and from democratic to technocratic views on designing transparency policies. A
- [Blog on EUI Transparency Seminar Picked Up by Russian Blogger](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=318) - An earlier summary of the EUI seminar of transparency, posted on this website some time ago, has been picked up by Moscow-based archivist and blogger Natasha Hramtsovsky. Her blog features a full translation of the summary in Russian. In an introduction, Ms Hramtsovky remarks: The described event attracted the attention of several Russian colleagues (see http://svdrokov.blogspot.ru/2013/02/blog-post_11.html), who
- [Transatlantic Conference on Transparency Research a huge success](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=209) - On 8 and 9 June the Transatlantic Conference on Transparency Research (TCTR) was held in Utrecht, the Netherlands. It was organised by members of the Open Government in the EU research group Albert Meijer and Deirdre Curtin. Researchers came from four continents and presented over 50 papers on all sorts of transparency related issues, ranging from
- [Introductory Paper at Porto Yields New Insights](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=90) - The Open Government in the EU group presented a research agenda at the 5th ECPR Conference, which took place in Porto from 23 to 26 June. Prof. Deirdre Curtin of the research team presented a paper entitled "Studying Open Government in the EU: From Normative Debates to Empirical Fact-Finding" in the conference session entitled Public Opinion, Party
- [An agenda for transparency in the EU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1040) - In view of today’s challenges, is the EU’s approach to transparency sufficient, given that it is an atypical constitutional structure exercising sovereign powers across multiple levels of government and in constant need of explaining itself? Herwig Hofmann and Päivi Leino-Sandberg see room for reform. Transparency and openness of Union decision-making procedures are foundational values of
- [The Council ‘repairs’ EU transparency rules informally](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1144) - A new publication in the Journal of Common Market Studies by TrUE project researcher Maarten Hillebrandt demonstrates how informality may help explain anomalies in Council transparency policy. Analyses of EU transparency traditionally focus strongly on its legal development with little attention to informality. In such accounts, the Council of the EU is routinely understood as
- [Setting the record straight on disclosure of a document by a third party and the obligation of EU Institutions to provide access to documents: Leino-Sandberg v European Parliament](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1246) - On 21 January, the Court of Justice delivered its judgment in the appeal case Leino-Sandberg v European Parliament (C‑761/18 P). Anastasia Karatzia (University of Essex) analyses the relevance of this ruling for clarifying the scope of institutions' obligations under Regulation 1049/2001 on public access to documents. On 21 January, the Court of Justice delivered its
- [Dutch MFA discusses Leino-Sandberg case](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1260) - In its most recent newsletter, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Expertise Centre for European Law (ECER) dedicates an entry to the recent Leino-Sandberg v Parliament judgment. In its brief review (in Dutch), ECER summarises the ruling of the Court of Justice as finding that "the placement of European Parliament documents on a [third party's]
- [Recent TrUE workshop now online](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1265) - On 18 February, the TrUE project webinar "Challenging the European institutions on transparency: Analysing Leino-Sandberg v Parliament and two Ombudsman complaints" was held, with speakers Päivi Leino-Sandberg, Benjamin Bodson, and Maarten Hillebrandt. The video of this workshop is now available online. In this workshop, which was attended by academics from across Europe as well as
- [Transparency news reports in 2020](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1104) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Below, you can find the news digest for 2020. Central points in news coverage were the use of transparency to fight disinformation, transparency of measures and institutional changes related to the corona pandemic, as well
- [How can we properly enforce lobbying rules in Brussels? For an EU Ethics Body](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1309) - The EU institutions have until shown reluctance to enforce their own ethics rules, sparking societal outrage. Yet it would not take a revolution to fix the ethical framework of the EU, MEP Daniel Freund argues. Brussels is Europe’s lobbying capital. In a city where laws for more than 440 million citizens are being made, around
- [First Post on the Project Webpage](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=32) - Sunshine is the best disinfectant. US Justice Brandeis
- [Well into the third act: The way forward on public access to EU documents](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=888) - Public Access to Documents in the EU, by Leonor Rossi and Patricia Vinagre e Silva, (Oxford/Portland, Hart Publishing, 2017, ISBN 9781509905331); xxxviii + 340pp.; £49.00 hb. Access to EU Documents: A Policy in Three Acts On 7 February, the EU celebrated a remarkable anniversary. Exactly twenty-five years ago on that day, the Heads of
- [7th Global Conference on Transparency Research Call for Papers Closing Soon](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1111) - The 7th Global Conference on Transparency Research will be held from 19-21 May at the Copenhagen Business School. This edition of the conference is entitled "Rethinking Transparency: Challenging Ideals and Embracing Paradoxes". A call for papers and panel proposals is now online and can be accessed here. The conference organisers have decided to extend the
- [Upcoming transparency research & policy events](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1036) - 18-19 September 2019: "Workshop: Inside the Black Box of Trilogues", Utrecht University. Closed event. 24 September 2019: "Seminar: The future of EU transparency", Finnish EU Presidency, Brussels. Closed event. 19-20 November 2019: "RECONNECT Conference: Transparency in the EU: mechanisms and practices", Lille Catholic University (ESPOL). Abstract submission deadline: 20 September 2019. More information here.
- [Processstukken inzake inbreukprocedures Commissie niet zonder meer uitgesloten van publieke toegang](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=670) - Cross-post van het Expertisecentrum voor Europees Recht (ECER), Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. De Commissie mag een verzoek om openbaarmaking van de processtukken van een lidstaat in een infractieprocedure niet automatisch afwijzen omdat het stukken van het EU-Hof zijn. Het besluit om stukken vrij te geven moet worden genomen op basis van de bijzondere regeling
- [Wikileaks publishes new stack of documents, this time on Syria](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=228) - Yesterday, Wikileaks announced in a press conference in London that it was ready to commence the leaking of over 2.4 million emails originating from the Syrian regime. Wikileaks, which specialises in digital leaking of government documents, admitted to not having been able to verify every document separately. However, the NGO added that it was 'statistically confident
- [Transparency news reports in 2016](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=912) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Please find below the news digest for 2016. See also the news report digests for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015 (first quarter, second quarter, and second half), and 2014 (last quarter). 06/01/16// Ein News: EU
- [Transparency news reports January-March 2015](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=656) - EU transparency in the news, January - March 2015. See also the news report digests for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 (second quarter, and second half), and 2014 (last quarter). The Open Government in the EU blog keeps a regularly updated overview of news reporting on EU transparency since September 2014. This post contains
- [New article debunks common myths around EU Council transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=992) - A recent article in Politique Européenne by Maarten Hillebrandt (Bielefeld University) deals with the question of the development of transparency policy in the Council of the European Union. The development path of transparency in the Council is often regarded by outsiders with scepticism. After all, before 1992, the EU’s most ‘intergovernmental’ institution was known for
- [Hearing in Appeal Access Info Europe Case Sees Parties Putting Forward Their Views About Transparency in Process](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=299) - The Council of the European Union defends its appeal in Luxembourg. On Thursday 21 February, the litigating parties in the Access Info Europe case appeal convened at the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg for a hearing. This marks the next step in this case, since the the Council contested the General Court's
- [ECPR 5th Pan-European Conference in Porto](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=44) - From 24-26 June, two of our project's team members, prof. Deirdre Curtin and dr. Gijs Jan Brandsma, will be attending the 5th Pan-European Conference on EU Politics in Porto, Portugal. This conference is co-hosted by the University of Oporto and the University Fernando Pessoa and discusses research progress in a wide array of policy- and
- [European journalist collective launches series of publications on Council secrecy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1130) - A collective of European journalists investigating European Union politics has recently launched a investigative study into the secrecy of Council decision making. The group, called Investigate Europe, opened a dossier on the (in)transparency of Council decision making last year. Last week, the journalists launched a new series of publications concerning the secrecy of Council negotiations,
- [Transparency news reports in 2017](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=925) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Please find below the news digest for 2017. See also the news report digests for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015 (first quarter, second quarter, and second half), and 2014 (last quarter). 14/04/17//Politico: A transparent Brexit?
- [Transparency news reports in 2019](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1021) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Please find below the news digest for 2019. Recent news reports on EU transparency can also be found on the sidebar to the right of this post. See also the news report digests for 2020,
- [Transparency news reports second half 2015](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=808) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Please find below the news digest of the second half of 2015. See also the news report digests for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 (first quarter and second quarter), and 2014 (last quarter). 07/07/15//
- [Transparency news reports April-June 2015](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=718) - Since September 2014, the Open Government in the EU blog scans English-language online news outlets for news on EU transparency. Please find below the news digest of the second quarter of 2015. See also the news report digests for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 (first quarter and second half), and 2014 (last quarter). 15/04/15//
- [Presentations on Open Government](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=542) - Team members of the Open Government in the EU research group recently presented their view of openness and secrecy in the EU institutions in presentations held in Berlin and Brussels. On Sunday 19 October, professor Deirdre Curtin entered into a dialogue with Carolin Emcke in a public event entitled "Keine Demokratie. Nirgends?". The dialogue concerned
- [Upcoming Transparency Events](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=861) - 10 March – Public defence doctoral dissertation Maarten Hillebrandt, “Living Transparency. The development of access to documents in the Council of the EU and its democratic implications”, University of Amsterdam – http://acelg.uva.nl/home/components/acelg-events/acelg-events/content/folder/events/2017/03/defence-hillebrandt.html 16 March – Conference on “Transparency and Secrecy in Foreign Policy”, organized by the University of Agder, the University of Oslo, and the
## Pages
- [Blog contributors](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?page_id=1417) - In alphabetical order. Alberto Alemanno Clare Birchall Miguel Angel Blanes Climent Deirdre Curtin Helen Darbishire ECER Elisabeth Eike Daniel Freund Mariana Gkliati Joris Gijsenbergh Rachel Hanna Maarten Hillebrandt Herwig Hofmann Vellamo Jutila Anastasia Karatzia Jane Kilpatrick Ida Koivisto Emilia Korkea-aho Päivi Leino-Sandberg Asimina Michailidou Martin Moland Fabio Rotondo Reneta Shipkova Sofia Sormunen Hans-Jörg Trenz Nikos
- [Academic Publications](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?page_id=25) - This list shows all academic publications of the Open Government in the EU research project (Utrecht-Amsterdam, 2010-2017) and the project Transparency in the EU - From Reaction to Manifesto? (Helsinki, 2017-2021) that are directly related to the topic (and subtopics) of open government in the EU. A number of key conference papers are also displayed
- [Participating researchers](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?page_id=36) - Below, the various participating researchers in the Open Government in the EU project (OGEU, 2010-2016) and the Transparency in the EU - From Reaction to Manifesto project (TrUE, 2017-2021), and ongoing research since then are listed. A list of relevant publications produced by the participating researchers can be found here. Currently active researchers Maarten Hillebrandt-
- [About Open Government in the EU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?page_id=5) - Open Government in the EU blog... ...reflects on news, research, and debates around transparency and access in the EU; ...actively monitors academic, policy and media debates on these topics; ...provides you with the latest insights of researchers connected to the TrUE project at the University of Helsinki. Contact Would you like to find out more
- [Links](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?page_id=24) - Access Info Europe - Spain-based but pan-European transparency advocacy group Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance Blog - expert blog on issues related to EU law and governance AsktheEU.org - Access to documents request portal offered by coalition of NGOs Corporate Europe Observatory - Brussels-based comporate lobbying watchdog Council of Europe - 2009 Convention
## Categories
- [Uncategorized](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=1)
- [Research](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=7) - News related to research on open government in and beyond the EU.
- [Implementation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=8) - News on developing implementation practices with reference to open government in the EU.
- [Legal reform](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=9) - News on changes in the rules related to EU open government.
- [Civil society](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=10) - News from openness activists, thinktanks, interest groups and other non-state actors.
- [Jurisprudence](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=105) - News on judgments by the European Court of Justice related to open government in the EU.
- [News reports](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=164) - Your annual digest of news on EU open government as reported by a wide range of media.
- [Oversight](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?cat=406) - News on oversight by the Ombudsman, national parliaments, and other non-judicial watchdogs.
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- [public access to information](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=public-access-to-information)
- [access info europe](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=access-info-europe)
- [AG opinion](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ag-opinion)
- [democracy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=democracy)
- [legislative procedures](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=legislative-procedures)
- [diamandouros](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=diamandouros)
- [guide](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=guide)
- [driessen](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=driessen)
- [irish times](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=irish-times)
- [op-ed](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=op-ed)
- [accession negotiations](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=accession-negotiations)
- [procedural law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=procedural-law)
- [working party on information](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=working-party-on-information)
- [GCTR](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=gctr)
- [HEC](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=hec)
- [parliaments](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=parliaments)
- [report](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=report)
- [limite](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=limite)
- [ESF](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=esf)
- [comparative research](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=comparative-research)
- [in 't veld](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=in-t-veld)
- [SWIFT](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=swift)
- [timmermans](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=timmermans)
- [better regulation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=better-regulation)
- [impact assessment](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=impact-assessment)
- [efficiency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=efficiency)
- [TTIP](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ttip)
- [de gucht](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=de-gucht)
- [implementation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=implementation)
- [CEU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ceu)
- [european council](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=european-council)
- [trade-off](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=trade-off)
- [lobbying](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=lobbying)
- [media reports](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=media-reports)
- [2014](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2014)
- [infringement procedures](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=infringement-procedures)
- [Breyer](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=breyer)
- [convention on access to official documents](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=convention-on-access-to-official-documents)
- [EMU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=emu)
- [TcampEU](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=tcampeu)
- [2017](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2017)
- [article](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=article)
- [journal of european integration](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=journal-of-european-integration)
- [executive dominance](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=executive-dominance)
- [presentations](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=presentations)
- [AMCIS](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=amcis)
- [news reports](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=news-reports)
- [European information law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=european-information-law)
- [juncker](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=juncker)
- [book review](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=book-review)
- [leonor rossi](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=leonor-rossi)
- [patricia vinagre e silva](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=patricia-vinagre-e-silva)
- [own-initiative inquiry](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=own-initiative-inquiry)
- [true project](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=true-project)
- [de capitani](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=de-capitani)
- [european parliament](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=european-parliament)
- [trilogues](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=trilogues)
- [van poelje prize](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=van-poelje-prize)
- [2018](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2018)
- [politique européenne](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=politique-europeenne)
- [space to think](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=space-to-think)
- [venice commission](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=venice-commission)
- [eurogroup](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eurogroup)
- [esm](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=esm)
- [2019](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2019)
- [confirmatory application](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=confirmatory-application)
- [events](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=events)
- [workshop](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=workshop)
- [lisbon treaty](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=lisbon-treaty)
- [interinstitutional relations](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=interinstitutional-relations)
- [2016](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2016)
- [2015](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2015)
- [external relations](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=external-relations)
- [luxleaks](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=luxleaks)
- [Copenhagen Business School](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=copenhagen-business-school)
- [performativity](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=performativity)
- [sociology](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=sociology)
- [rethinking transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=rethinking-transparency)
- [webinar](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=webinar)
- [against transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=against-transparency)
- [2020](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2020)
- [rationalism](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=rationalism)
- [investigate europe](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=investigate-europe)
- [investigative journalism](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=investigative-journalism)
- [pan-european media](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=pan-european-media)
- [proactive disclosure](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=proactive-disclosure)
- [environment council](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=environment-council)
- [aarhus convention](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=aarhus-convention)
- [access to environmental information](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=access-to-environmental-information)
- [informality](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=informality)
- [2021](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2021)
- [milestones](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=milestones)
- [case note](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=case-note)
- [panel](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=panel)
- [roundtable](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=roundtable)
- [luiss rome](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=luiss-rome)
- [new intergovernmentalism](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=new-intergovernmentalism)
- [2010](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2010)
- [2011](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2011)
- [ngo](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ngo)
- [coronavirus](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=coronavirus)
- [pandemic](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=pandemic)
- [disinformation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=disinformation)
- [case law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=case-law)
- [action research](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=action-research)
- [hungary](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=hungary)
- [elections](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=elections)
- [eu law live](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eu-law-live)
- [legal advice](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=legal-advice)
- [court pleadings](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=court-pleadings)
- [foreign governments](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=foreign-governments)
- [FARA](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=fara)
- [EUTR](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eutr)
- [EU ethics](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eu-ethics)
- [revolving door](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=revolving-door)
- [oettinger](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=oettinger)
- [barroso](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=barroso)
- [kroes](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=kroes)
- [von der leyen](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=von-der-leyen)
- [2012](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2012)
- [grimmelikhuijsen](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=grimmelikhuijsen)
- [2013](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2013)
- [daniel freund](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=daniel-freund)
- [emilia korkea-aho](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=emilia-korkea-aho)
- [maarten hillebrandt](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=maarten-hillebrandt)
- [päivi leino-sandberg](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=paivi-leino-sandberg)
- [anastasia karatzia](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=anastasia-karatzia)
- [herwig hofmann](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=herwig-hofmann)
- [miguel angel blanes climent](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=miguel-angel-blanes-climent)
- [deirdre curtin](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=deirdre-curtin)
- [cosac](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=cosac)
- [stephanie novak](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=stephanie-novak)
- [reconnect project](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=reconnect-project)
- [camille kelbel](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=camille-kelbel)
- [axel marx](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=axel-marx)
- [julien navarro](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=julien-navarro)
- [clare birchall](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=clare-birchall)
- [neoliberalism](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=neoliberalism)
- [united states](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=united-states)
- [open data](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=open-data)
- [data surveillance](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=data-surveillance)
- [bonde](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=jens-peter-bonde)
- [prosecution](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=prosecution)
- [denmark](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=denmark)
- [isel](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=isel)
- [transparency international](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=transparency-international)
- [wikileaks](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=wikileaks)
- [utrecht school of governance](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=utrecht-school-of-governance)
- [tilburg university](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=tilburg-university)
- [ivr](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ivr)
- [eric castren institute](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eric-castren-institute)
- [usi](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=usi)
- [university of limerick](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=university-of-limerick)
- [council secretariat](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=council-secretariat)
- [jepp](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=jepp)
- [lagape](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=lagape)
- [espol](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=espol)
- [france](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=france)
- [benjamin bodson](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=benjamin-bodson)
- [guri rosen](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=guri-rosen)
- [kees groenendijk](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=kees-groenendijk)
- [gijs jan brandsma](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=gijs-jan-brandsma)
- [voting procedures](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=voting-procedures)
- [politicsandgovernance](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=politicsandgovernance)
- [ceps](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ceps)
- [clientearth](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=clientearth)
- [centeno](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=centeno)
- [ejrr](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ejrr)
- [liisa leppävirta](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=liisa-leppavirta)
- [cmlr](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=cmlr)
- [vigjilenca abazi](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=vigjilenca-abazi)
- [eljalill tauschinsky](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eljalill-tauschinsky)
- [ecer](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ecer)
- [maastricht treaty](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=maastricht-treaty)
- [acelg](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=acelg)
- [trade](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=trade)
- [letter](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=letter)
- [helen wallace](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=helen-wallace)
- [single european act](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=single-european-act)
- [finland](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=finland)
- [access to information](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=access-to-information)
- [daniel naurin](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=daniel-naurin)
- [david heald](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=david-heald)
- [eric welch](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eric-welch)
- [open government](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=open-government)
- [alter-eu](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=alter-eu)
- [afco](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=afco)
- [huebner](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=huebner)
- [frontex](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=frontex)
- [access to justice](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=access-to-justice)
- [cfsp](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=cfsp)
- [laurent pech](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=laurent-pech)
- [mff](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=mff)
- [rule of law](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=rule-of-law)
- [estonia](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=estonia)
- [slovenia](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=slovenia)
- [semsrott](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=semsrott)
- [inzuzquiza](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=inzuzquiza)
- [register](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=register)
- [teffer](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=teffer)
- [history](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=history)
- [joris gijsenbergh](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=joris-gijsenbergh)
- [whistleblowing](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=whistleblowing)
- [thegoodlobby](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=thegoodlobby)
- [communication policy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=communication-policy)
- [social media](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=social-media)
- [press policy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=press-policy)
- [fabio rotondo](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=fabio-rotondo)
- [book](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=book)
- [20years](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=20years)
- [reneta shipkova](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=reneta-shipkova)
- [meijers committee](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=meijers-committee)
- [sofia sormunen](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=sofia-sormunen)
- [martin moland](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=martin-moland)
- [asimina michailidou](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=asimina-michailidou)
- [portugal](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=portugal)
- [sponsorship](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=sponsorship)
- [open procurement eu coalition](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=open-procurement-eu-coalition)
- [tenders guru](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=tenders-guru)
- [recovery and resilience facility](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=recovery-and-resilience-facility)
- [helen darbishire](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=helen-darbishire)
- [rachel hanna](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=rachel-hanna)
- [nikos vogiatzis](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=nikos-vogiatzis)
- [blog contributions](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=blog-contributions)
- [survey](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=survey)
- [olaf](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=olaf)
- [general presumption](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=general-presumption)
- [inspection](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=inspection)
- [general court](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=general-court)
- [fraud](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=fraud)
- [declaration](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=declaration)
- [conference on the future of europe](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=conference-on-the-future-of-europe)
- [asktheu.org](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=asktheu-org)
- [technology](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=technology)
- [alberto alemanno](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=alberto-alemanno)
- [live streaming](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=live-streaming)
- [cjeu](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=cjeu)
- [migration](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=migration)
- [securitisation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=securitisation)
- [third-country nationals](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=third-country-nationals)
- [jane kilpatrick](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=jane-kilpatrick)
- [mariana gkliati](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=mariana-gkliati)
- [fake news](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=fake-news)
- [media policy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=media-policy)
- [Elisabeth Eike](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=elisabeth-eike)
- [Hans-Jörg Trenz](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=hans-jorg-trenz)
- [fisheries control regulation](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=fisheries-control-regulation)
- [wwf](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=wwf)
- [oceana](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=oceana)
- [article 113](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=article-113)
- [ngeu](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ngeu)
- [rrf](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=rrf)
- [euf prize](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=euf-prize)
- [flensburg](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=flensburg)
- [euf](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=euf)
- [tony bunyan](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=tony-bunyan)
- [follow the money](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=follow-the-money)
- [political advertising](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=political-advertising)
- [code of conduct group](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=code-of-conduct-group)
- [tax transparency](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=tax-transparency)
- [coreper](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=coreper)
- [homoki](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=homoki)
- [civil liberties union for europe](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=civil-liberties-union-for-europe)
- [atlatszo](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=atlatszo)
- [k-monitor](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=k-monitor)
- [hungarian civil liberties union](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=hungarian-civil-liberties-union)
- [2022](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2022)
- [podcast](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=podcast)
- [james kanter](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=james-kanter)
- [euscream](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=euscream)
- [jourova](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=jourova)
- [alexander fanta](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=alexander-fanta)
- [digital communication](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=digital-communication)
- [digital rights](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=digital-rights)
- [leitao marques](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=leitao-marques)
- [sms](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=sms)
- [recoveryfiles](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=recoveryfiles)
- [ftm](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ftm)
- [ij4eu](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ij4eu)
- [corruption](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=corruption)
- [foreign policy](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=foreign-policy)
- [populism](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=populism)
- [publications](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=publications)
- [ukraine](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ukraine)
- [sanctions regime](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=sanctions-regime)
- [russia](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=russia)
- [oligarchs](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=oligarchs)
- [libe committee](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=libe-committee)
- [citizen observers](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=citizen-observers)
- [cofeu](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=cofeu)
- [decision making](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=decision-making)
- [draghi](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=draghi)
- [conference plenary](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=conference-plenary)
- [ecr group](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ecr-group)
- [brexit](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=brexit)
- [eu-uk trade and cooperation agreement](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement)
- [vellamo jutila](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=vellamo-jutila)
- [jonathan white](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=jonathan-white)
- [war](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=war)
- [text messages](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=text-messages)
- [guidelines](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=guidelines)
- [pfizergate](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=pfizergate)
- [qatar](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=qatar)
- [qatargate](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=qatargate)
- [eva kaili](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=eva-kaili)
- [antonio panzeri](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=antonio-panzeri)
- [scandal](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=scandal)
- [2023](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2023)
- [AI](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ai)
- [algorithms](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=algorithms)
- [explainability](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=explainability)
- [artificial intelligence act](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=artificial-intelligence-act)
- [digital services act](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=digital-services-act)
- [ida koivisto](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=ida-koivisto)
- [working parties](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=working-parties)
- [technical negotiations](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=technical-negotiations)
- [directive on transparency of third country lobbying](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=directive-on-transparency-of-third-country-lobbying)
- [suica](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=suica)
- [invisible european government](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=invisible-european-government)
- [edited volume](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=edited-volume)
- [2025](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2025)
- [article 7](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=article-7)
- [poland](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=poland)
- [2026](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=2026)
- [andra primavarus](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=andra-primavarus)
- [alternative documents](https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?tag=alternative-documents)