Finland and Sweden increased the pressure on the Danish EU presidency. In an open letter, two ministers of justice urged the presidency to stick to the Lisbon Treaty and not even table proposals for less transparency.
"True friends of transparency?"
The letter, headlined "True friends of transparency?" — with the question mark intact — was directed at the European Parliament, the public at large and, not least, the Danish presidency. Swedish minister of justice Beatrice Ask, a conservative, and Finnish minister of justice Anna-Maja Henriksson, a liberal, expressed deep concern at how their Danish colleague, minister of European affairs Nicolai Wammen, a social democrat, had so far handled negotiations on rules for public access to documents held by the EU institutions. The mandate to negotiate given by the Council majority would, in their view, lead to less transparency, and they added that their countries had not supported the text.
A letter timed for a crucial moment
The open letter came at a decisive point, as the presidency tried to strike a deal before its term ran out. On Friday 1 June, member countries' press attachés and civil servants were to meet at working-group level to discuss yet another mandate, to be endorsed by the EU ambassadors the following week. The Swedish and Finnish ministers feared the situation might go from bad to worse, and wrote: "The Lisbon Treaty clearly demands more transparency in the EU, and especially so in legislative procedures. A second given would be that in today's Europe of turbulence and disappointment European decision-makers would hurry to do what they can in order to enhance citizen trust and participation."
The letter ended with a direct challenge to the presidency — "We trust that Denmark and the EP will see to it that no such proposal is even put on the table" — followed by a final rhetorical question: "Who's with us?"
The Danish presidency's position
The Danish minister Nicolai Wammen had previously commented on the negotiations in general terms in a written statement: "If we succeed in getting a result, this will mean that Denmark has made sure that openness in all EU institutions will be secured for the future to the benefit of all citizens and enterprises in daily touch with the EU-cooperation." Wammen had not responded directly to the earlier appeal from the Swedish minister Ask, and had chosen not to take direct questions from journalists on the subject.
Frequently asked questions
Who signed the open letter?
Swedish minister of justice Beatrice Ask and Finnish minister of justice Anna-Maja Henriksson signed it, directing their appeal at the European Parliament, the public and the Danish presidency.
What did the ministers ask for?
They urged the Danish presidency to respect the Lisbon Treaty's demand for more transparency in legislative procedures and not to put forward any proposal that would reduce public access to EU documents.
How did the Danish presidency respond?
Minister Nicolai Wammen had commented only in general terms in a written statement and had not replied directly to the earlier Swedish appeal, declining to take journalists' questions on the matter.