Bibtex export
@article{ Naurin2017, title = {The Puzzle of Transparency Reforms in the Council of the EU}, author = {Naurin, Daniel}, journal = {Politics and Governance}, number = {3}, pages = {87-90}, volume = {5}, year = {2017}, issn = {2183-2463}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v5i3.941}, abstract = {I argue that the transparency reforms that have been implemented in the Council of the EU in the last decades are unlikely to change the perception of the Council as a non-transparent institution. My argument is based on three distinctions: the distinction between transparency (availability of information) and publicity (spread and reception of information); between transparency in process and transparency in rationale; and between plenary and committee decision-making arenas in legislatures. While national parliaments tend to have all these features, the Council of the EU only has two (transparency in process and committee decision-making). As a consequence, publishing ever more documents and detailed minutes of committee meetings is unlikely to strengthen the descriptive legitimacy of the Council. Furthermore, I argue that the democratic transparency problem is the reverse of what is most often argued: It is not the lack of transparency that causes a democratic deficit, but the (perceived) lack of a democratic infrastructure that makes more serious transparency reforms unthinkable to government representatives.}, keywords = {EU; EU; Europarat; Council of Europe; Informationspolitik; information policy; Transparenz; transparency; Entscheidungsfindung; decision making; Legitimität; legitimacy}}