From: Statewatch news and announcements [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2001 9:00 AM
To: List Member
Subject: "CALL FOR AN OPEN EUROPE" & RELATED NEWS FROM STATEWATCH
Statewatch news and announcements - http://www.statewatch.org
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"CALL FOR AN OPEN EUROPE"
European Federation of Journalists and Statewatch launch call for an "Open
Europe": Following the publication of "Essays for an Open Europe"
<http://www.statewatch.org/essays.htm> (by Tony Bunyan, Deirdre Curtain
and Aidan White) the EFJ and Statewatch are inviting civil society groups
and individuals to sign up to support a call to the EU institutions for a
democratic and accountable "Open Europe" on access to documents. To
support the call either e-mail your name, group/organisation/position,
postal address (a full list of those supporting the call will be put on
the web but no contact details will be included) and any comment you would
like to make. Alternatively, register on-line (or print form) at
<http://www.statewatch.org/secret/call.htm>.
Our code: a model code of access to EU documents for civil society:
Statewatch has proposed a code of access that would truly "enshrine" the
citizens' right of access to documents and meet the commitment in article
255 of the TEC. It is based on the existing rights of citizens under the
1993 Decision on public access to documents as improved by cases taken to
the European Court of First Instance and Ombudsman, current "best
practise" in the operation of the code by the institutions and proposals
that have emerged in the current positions of the institutions that would
improve access <http://www.statewatch.org/secret/ourcode.htm>.
DEVELOPMENTS ON THE PROPOSED CODE OF ACCESS
<http://www.statewatch.org/news>
French Presidency bequeaths Sweden a "poisoned chalice": At the meeting of
COREPER (the body comprising the permanent representatives of the 15 EU
governments in Brussels) on 18 December the French Presidency of the EU
presented its final draft of the Council's common position on access to EU
documents. The dilemna for the new Swedish Presidency (from 1.1.01) is how
far it can reverse the current "consensus" among the EU member states and
meet its own commitment to meaningful freedom of information. The article
notes that each draft produced by the French was worse than the previous
one.
"Solana Decision" extended to cover justice and home affairs, trade and
aid: The "Solana Decision" of 26 July 2000 introduced the principle of
excluding all documents covering foreign policy, military and non-military
crisis management. In incorporating the Decision into the new code this
blanket exclusion was then replaced by different procedures for "sensitive
documents". However, the latest draft of the EU Council common position on
the draft code extends the concept from "security and defence" to all
areas of EU activity including justice and home affairs (policing,
immigration, asylum, customs and legal cooperation), trade and aid etc.
Chair of EP Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights expresses concern
over Council's draft common position: Graham Watson has written to the
Council of the EU expressing strong concern that it has not even
considered the EP's report on the draft code and furthermore, that the
Parliament may reject the Council's common position. (Includes full-text
of Council draft common position dated 1.12.00).
Statewatch: monitoring the state and civil liberties in Europe
e-mail: <[log in to unmask]>
tel: 0044-(0)20-88021882
fax: 0044-(0)20-88801727
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