Tony Blair was challenged on his arrival at the European Parliament in Strasbourg today Wednesday, October 26th, to allow greater public scrutiny of the Brussels law-making process.

Europe’s most powerful law-making body is the Council of Ministers but its deliberations take place behind closed doors.

Marian Harkin MEP - member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe called on the UK Prime Minister to use his Presidency of the EU to put the principles of transparency and openness into practice.

Harkin carried a banner demanding that “laws should not be made in secret,” and will remind him that every EU head of government made a commitment to change the procedures when they signed the draft constitutional treaty.

A simple alteration in the Council’s standing orders, requiring the votes of just 13 member states, is all that is required to implement the agreement. It is a small change with potentially huge significance for improving understanding of the way in which the EU works.

The Independent MEP has written to the Taoiseach and all cabinet members requesting them to support the proposal to make EU law-making more transparent.

Harkin commented:

“It’s no wonder that the EU is accused of having a democratic deficit at its heart when ministers meet to debate laws in secret.

“National parliaments need to be able to hold ministers to account but they can not succeed in that task if they do not know what is being said in their country’s name.”