Europe: Open government in the EU - The debate over MPs' expenses demonstrates why access to information is the lifeblood of any healthy democratic system

Open government in the EU: The debate over MPs' expenses demonstrates why
access to information is the
lifeblood of any healthy democratic system
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/may/20/freedomofinformation-eu>
Tony Bunyan (Statewatch), Wednesday 20 May 2009

As MPs' expenses are finally exposed after a five-year freedom of information
battle, how does the European Union measure up when it comes to transparency,
accountability and freedom of information?

--snip--

Access to documents is the lifeblood of a healthy democratic system. It allows
the public to find out about proposals, to debate and discuss them, and to
make their views known. We are still waiting for the enshrined right of access
promised in the Amsterdam treaty and the present discussions mean this right
is still a long way away.

The failure of transparency over MPs' expenses in the UK and MEPs in Brussels,
refusing access to details of the allowances they claim, only serves to
emphasise why we must claim a right to know what is being done in our name.