The measures decided by the last European Council to enhance transparency in the work of the Council of the EU (Annex I of the “Presidency conclusions, see 2439/2440 in our EUROPE/Documents series) have, in the main, been well received. Some political figures and commentators, indeed, have seen them as the only real success of the June Summit. On the level of principles, how can one fail to share this enthusiasm? Europe is often criticised for being too distant from its citizens, of being...