Observatory on public access to EU documents
01 November 2000
This "Observatory" tracks the progress of the new measure to put into effect Article 255 of the Amsterdam Treaty to "enshrine" the citizens' right of access to documents from the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament. The measure has to be agreed by these three insitutions under the co-decision procedure.
The "Observatory" has five sections: "Current drafts on the table" and (A) the current Decisions on public access to EU documents and the Commission proposal(s) (B.1) reports from the European Parliament committees (B.2) European Parliament vote on 1st reading report (C) proposals by the Council (D) critiques and comments by civil society.
Updated 31.5.01 - see below. This "Observatory" now represents an archive of the legislative process leading to the adoption of the new Regulation. For news after this see:
1.
Secret Europe
2.
FOI in the EU
3. Statewatch's
Case Law Observatory on acess to EU documents
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Final version of the new EU code of access to documents: Netherlands court case withdrawn & European Parliament negotiating over access to classified documents:
New Regulation (html)
New Regulation (pdf file)
Final "compromise" text adopted by the European Parliament (3.5.01) and the Council of the European Union (14.5.01):
Full-text
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COMPROMISE/COMMON TEXT
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The "compromise/common text" agreed between the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament's Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights will be discussed in the parliament's plenary session on Wednesday, 2 May and voted on 3 May. The new Regulation is a combination of the Commission's original proposal as amended by the parliament's report:
Commission's proposed Regulation on public access to documents (2nd version, 21.2.00):
Text (html)
Amendments to the Commission proposal by the parliament:
Text (Word 97, dated 25.4.01)
Critique from civil society of the compromise Regulation:
Text (html)
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FINAL DRAFTS "ON THE TABLE"
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The "compromise/common texts" of the Council and the EP delegation:
Council version of "common text"
Council
(pdf)
Council (html)
Cashman (PSE)/Maij-Weggen(PPE) version of "compromise/common text":
Text
(11.4.01, Word 97) Text (17.4.01, pdf)
Amendments to the amendments: 19.4.01: Cashman (PSE)/Maij-Weggen(PPE): Text (Word 97)
Comments on the amendments:
More compromises2
Amendments to the "compromise/common text"
Amendments to the "compromise text" from the Green/EFA group and the ELDR (Liberals):
Amendments (Word 97)
The view of civil society
The position of Statewatch, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), European Ci