Transparency of EU Council decision making inquiry launched

• Inquiry: Transparency of EU Council decision making
• European Scrutiny Committee

Terms of reference

The Committee will be seeking to examine several aspects of the transparency of decision-making in Council, including:

• Is Council decision-making sufficiently transparent? If not, what should be changed to increase transparency?
• What would be the advantages and disadvantages of full transparency of national negotiating positions on legislative proposals at different stages of the legislative process in the Council (at Working Group level, Coreper and Council of Ministers)? 
• Does the regular practice of seeking to find consensus before the adoption of legislation detract from the accountability of governments to their electorates?
• Is there more information that the UK Government could provide to improve transparency?
• What role could national Parliaments have in improving the transparency of the Council through effective and transparent scrutiny of their governments? 

Next steps

It is the Committee's aim to take oral evidence on 20 and 27 April. Written submissions on the topics above are invited.  These should be received via the written evidence portal. Submissions received by Monday 18 April may be taken into account when the Committee takes oral evidence; the final deadline for submissions is Friday 29 April.

• Send a written submission to the transparency of EU Council decision making inquiry

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

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