Council guilty of maladministration for failing to make laws in public

11.14.37am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 13th Oct 2005

Responding to comments made by the European Ombudsman, who accused the Council of Ministers of maladministration due its failure to make EU law in public, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, the Liberal Democrat European Justice Spokeswoman said:

"The Ombudsman's conclusions are a damning indictment of the way in which Ministers debate EU laws behind closed doors."

Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament have been at the forefront of the campaign for greater transparency and openness from the Council of Ministers, and I am pleased that that the Ombudsman has vindicated our pleas.

"Jack Straw should now insist that the issue be placed on the agenda of the next General Affairs Council. This is his chance to give Britain's EU Presidency a boost and to speak up for open and transparent law-making."

Ends

Note:

Ombudsman's Report in full:

http://www.euro-ombudsman.eu.int/special/pdf/en/032395.pdf

European Ombudsman - P. Nikiforos Diamandouros

Date of next General Affairs Meeting in Brussels - Monday 7 November

For details of Liberal Democrat campaigning see below:

• 6 September 2005 - http://www.libdemmeps.org.uk/news/72.html

• 5 July 2005 - http://libdemmeps.org.uk/news/54.html

• 23 June 2005 - http://www.libdemmeps.org.uk/news/index200506.html