Brussels, 16/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - With Slovenia and especially the United Kingdom dropping their objections, the European Council agreed on transparency measures with a view to further strengthening the involvement of citizens. In a bit of a surprise, all the measures put forward by the Austrian Presidency were accepted without alternation. A review clause on the measures adopted made it possible for the unwilling to come on board. “We are going quite simply to see how it works,” Wolfgang Schüssel told the press. He thought it proper that these measures be examined “after six months” and he thanked the British delegation “for its gesture”. Luxemburg Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker warned, “Everyone says that there will be full transparency, but I say the opposite”: some say that transparency will have a negative effect on the work of the Council. Transparency had always been a high and constant priority for our country, said Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who was very satisfied with “the very positive outcome today”.
The measures envisaged are: - all Council deliberations on legislative acts to be adopted by co-decision are to be open to the public, unless the Council or Coreper (Member States' Ambassadors to the EU) decides otherwise; - the Council's first deliberations on legislative acts, other than those adopted by co-decision, are to be open to the public, unless the Council or Coreper decides otherwise; - the Council or Coreper may decide by qualified majority to hold public debates on important issues affecting the interests of the Union and its citizens, with the incoming Finnish Presidency to submit concrete proposals for such; - the various Council formations' deliberations on their priorities, such as the 18 month programme of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, or the Commission's presentation of its five-year programme, of its annual work programme and of its annual policy strategy, will be public. All public deliberations will be broadcast in all languages through video-streaming and a recorded version available for at least one month on the Council's internet site. The Finnish Presidency and the General Secretariat of the Council are invited to develop new means of giving more publicity to public deliberations, in particular through an easily accessible and constantly updated list on line of forthcoming debates, and appropriate background material. The General Secretariat of the Council will inform the public in advance of the dates and approximate time on which public debates will take place.