UK bid to end secret EU debates

Some votes in the Council of Ministers are already taken in public

The UK will attempt this autumn to open meetings of the EU Council of Ministers to the public.

Critics have long complained that the Council's practice of debating laws behind closed doors puts the EU on a par with the worst dictatorships.

The UK pledge came as British MEPs launched a campaign for transparency.

The leaders of the five UK parties in the parliament issued a declaration, and wrote to The Times describing secret legislation as "unacceptable".

The only legislative body that doesn't meet in public nowadays is North Korea Gary Titley, Labour Party leader in European Parliament

"We're not trying to create Dallas or Big Brother, we just want to enhance scrutiny," said the leader of the Labour Party in the European Parliament, Gary Titley, calling for debates on new laws to be televised.

"The only legislative body that doesn't meet in public nowadays is North Korea."

UK optimism

The leading UK member of the Greens in the European Parliament, Jean Lambert, said: "If the Council is serious about trying to connect with the European public, citizens need to be able to understand why certain decisions are made - as well as who is making those decisions - rather than being presented with a 'fait accompli'."

DECLARATION SIGNATORIES Chris Davies, Liberal Democrats Nigel Farage, UK Independence Party Timothy Kirkhope, Conservative Party Jean Lambert, Greens Gary Titley, Labour Party

The Council, which is made up of ministers from the 25 member states, adopts all EU laws.

The European Parliament, which does meet in public, also has a vote on most EU legislation - but there are some areas where the Council acts alone.

Prime Minister Tony Blair told MEPs in June that he thought there was a "strong case" for the Council to legislate in public, adding: "Let us consider that under our presidency".

The Foreign Office confirmed on Tuesday that a move to make the change would be made in the autumn.

A spokesman said the chances of success were "pretty high", because member states had backed the idea when they signed up to the EU constitution.

He added that the UK proposal might not apply to the European Council - the quarterly meetings of European heads of governments - because it is not officially an EU government institution.

The proposal will be carried if 13 member states approve it.

'Dishonesty' claim

Secrecy in the Council helps member states engage in unseemly horse-trading, where ministers do deals to help each other block legislation instead of taking a principled position.

Members of the Commission and the Parliament often accuse governments of backing legislation in Council, then dishonestly blaming "Brussels" if the measure proves unpopular.

However, the final Council vote on many EU laws - those needing both Council and Parliament approval - is now taken in public.

An EU source said there had been a gradual move towards greater transparency in the EU, regarding both access to documents and transparency of meetings.

However, he said some states may be wary of starting a process of "cherry-picking" aspects of the ill-fated constitution.

Most legislation in EU member states now originates in Brussels.

Often the EU issues a broad directive, which the 25 states then transpose into detailed national law within a fixed period.