Transparency, Participation and EU Institutional Practice: An Inquiry into the Limits of the ‘Widest Possible’

The recent years have witnessed a growing concern in the EU institutions for the ways in which openness and citizen participation are believed to distract efficient decision-making. Various examples of such attitudes can be easily identified, demonstrating how the EU institutions still fail to possess a deeper understanding of the role of transparency in legitimate governance. This paper discusses the ways in which the right of public access often turns into institutional politics with the institutions and the Member States in fact buttressing their own interests. This has serious consequences for the understanding of citizens’ rights to participate in democratic decision-making. These questions are examined in the areas of legislative matters and international relations. The problems identified are then placed in the context of wider administrative culture in the relevant EU institutions, reflected in their responses to the citizens’ concerns. The paper concludes with a few remarks on the wishes of the European Council to create greater legitimacy for the Economic and Monetary Union, and the role of openness in that discussion.