Transparency

Transparency in public administration has become an essential issue on the political agenda over the last ten years, and not only in the European Institutions. In 2001, the Commission’s White Paper on European Governance (archived) said that transparency is necessary to achieve a participative democracy and to ensure legitimacy and accountability of a public administration.
In 2005, Vice-President Siim Kallas launched a European Transparency Initiative in response to calls from both public and private bodies from various fields of expertise. More recently, in May 2006, the Commission approved a Green Paper on Transparency inviting broader debate. The consultation period took place from May to August 2006. The different contributions are currently being analysed.

Find out more about:

• the European Transparency Initiative
• Transparency Registre

Several initiatives have already been taken. Find out more about some of them below.

• Every citizen of the European Union has the right to access Commission documents . A public register of documents has been made available online. Do you need help on how to find a Commission document?
• General information on the EU is within easy reach through:
  • an extensive network of information centres and contact points set up for the public;
  • the Europe Direct Call centres – Now, Europe is not further away than the next telephone;
  • the EUROPA website.

Transparency in the legislative process has been made a reality through:

• simplification and improvement of the regulatory framework;
• promotion of a culture of dialogue and participation - the 'Your Voice in Europe' website is the European Commission's single access point to a wide variety of consultations, discussions and other tools that enable European citizens to play an active role in the European policy-making process;
• impact assessments for new legislation, making it easier to understand the rational behind the different decisions;

The agenda and minutes from Commission meetings have also been made available on the Internet.