S&D MEPs today joined forces with other progressive groups in the European Parliament’s legal affairs committee to block conservative and liberal attempts to make EU decision making less transparent.

 

A recent ruling of the European Court of Justice stated that documents prepared during negotiations between the European Council, Commission, and Parliament to finalise new EU laws should be made public when requested. The S&D Group supports greater transparency in this process, known as trilogues, to help open up the EU’s decision making process. The group is pleased that progressive forces blocked attempts by the conservative EPP group and liberal ALDE group to appeal the decision of the court.

 

 

“We are pleased that the Parliament’s legal affairs committee voted not to appeal the ECJ’s ruling. This sends a positive message to European citizens that the EU is open in how it takes decisions. For us it is obvious that citizens have the right to know how laws that will affect them are made. We now need to use the decision of the ECJ as a basis for opening up how the EU works, to make it as transparent as possible. It will also help us highlight hypocrisy from national governments – who often say one thing in public and then do the opposite when taking a decision behind closed doors.

 

“The S&D Group will always be on the side of greater openness and transparency. It is shameful that supposedly pro-EU groups such as the conservative EPP and liberal ALDE groups voted for more behind closed-door decision making. Fortunately, a coalition of progressive forces won the day and ensured that the process of making EU laws will now be more open and transparent.”