§ 14. Mr. Derek TwiggTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in increasing the openness and transparency of decision making in the European Union during the United Kingdom presidency. [44527]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonGood progress has been made during our Presidency to make EU decision-making more open and transparent, for example by agreement to establish a public register of Council documents. This progress will reinforce the provisions on openness that we helped secure in the Amsterdam Treaty.
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§ 37. Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made during the UK presidency of the European Union towards addressing the democratic deficit in Europe. [44553]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonGood progress has been made during the UK Presidency of the EU to extend democratic accountability in Europe. In particular we have worked to enhance parliamentary oversight at both the EU and national level, and to extend openness and transparency.