UK plan for public register of documents

Date: 18/12/1997

By Rory Watson

THE UK will use its presidency of the EU to press for the creation of a public register of internal Council of Ministers documents as part of its wider strategy of bringing the Union closer to its citizens.

The move is designed to make it easier for members of the public to find out what information is available so that they can tailor their requests for documents accordingly.

"I want our presidency to improve the openness and accessibility of the European Union. We should make as much use as possible of the Internet. In particular, I want to see agreement on a public register of Council documents available electronically," explained UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook.

The creation of a register would answer critics' complaints that the general principle of access to documents is undermined by the absence of a list itemising the actual papers available.

British enthusiasm for the idea grew after a feasibility study indicated that the register could be set up without any great technical difficulties, even though it might involve listing between 10,000 and 20,000 documents a year in the various official languages.

It would also be possible to design the system so that users could quickly pinpoint the documents they wished to request by number and title without having to scour through the complete list.

But before the register can be compiled, the UK will have to convince some of its more sceptical partners - notably France, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg - to support the initiative and reassure them that it will not turn the Council of Ministers' secretariat into a public library.

"No one in their right mind would want to read every Council document. But companies and organisations need to know what is available and have ready access to it," said the UK's ambassador to the EU Sir Stephen Wall. "Some in Coreper [the Committee of Permanent Representatives] would like such people to go away, but they do not and should not. Our actions depend on popular consent and that depends on information."

But even if the idea is accepted, it is unlikely that EU governments will follow the Swedish example and list every document which exists, while refusing access to those regarded as too sensitive.

Instead, the Council is likely to exclude documents which are currently classified as top secret, secret and confidential from the list, and itemise only those considered confidential or restricted.

The initiative has been given a cautious welcome by Tony Bunyan of the civil liberties organisation Statewatch, who is one of the most persistent and successful applicants for Council documents.

"To have a register of documents on the Internet is a welcome step forward. But it still leaves us dependent on the response which governments will give to applications for documents," he said.

UK will use its Presidency of the EU to press for the creation of a public register of internal Council of Ministers documents.