Brussels, 28/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 28 May, the European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, welcomed the decision of the European Commission to release internal documents on its proposed new regulation on the common fisheries policy (CFP). A German researcher who had requested certain documents finally got his way.
O'Reilly commented: “The European Commission plays a crucial role in drafting legislation. The information it relies on should be publicly available during the legislative process. That would enable the European Parliament to play its role as legislator more effectively and enhance public trust”.
In 2011, a German academic asked the Commission for access to various documents, including draft versions of inter-service consultations and proposals for amendments (by the various Directorates General of the Commission) concerning a new regulation on the CFP (Ed: in the meantime, the regulation was approved by the EU institutions, in the framework of CFP reform). The Commission granted him only partial access, arguing that full disclosure would undermine its decision-making process.
The researcher turned to the Ombudsman, who inspected the documents and concluded that the Commission's arguments for refusing to release these documents were not convincing. According to the Ombudsman, EU transparency rules provide for the widest possible access when EU institutions act in their legislative capacity. Furthermore, she did not share the Commission's concerns that disclosure would undermine its internal deliberations. She noted, on the contrary, that, in a democratic system, different and even conflicting opinions should be openly discussed.
The Commission followed the Ombudsman's recommendation to release the documents, “but only after an agreement on the reform of the CFP had been reached in May 2013”. The Ombudsman made it clear that in the future, she expects the Commission to give access to similar documents “immediately”. (LC)