Citizens asked to define their EU communication rights

The Commission has opened a special web page where citizens can express their views on the European Charter or Code of Conduct on Communication, announced in the White Paper on a European Communication Policy.

One of the main recommendations of the recent White Paper on Communication is the establishment of a framework which will define the rights of citizens to be fairly and fully informed on European policies. This can be done either via a non-binding Charter on Communication, which would state what citizens can expect from the institutions as regards their right to be informed, or via a voluntary Code of Conduct on Communication, which would bind various EU actors to respect good practices of communication.

As part of the six months consultation on the Communication White Paper, the Commission presented on 1 March a special webpage where citizens can have their say as to the need for and the content of a Charter or a Code of Conduct. Until the 31 July 2006, contributions to the consultation can be sent by email or post.

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MEPs urge EU Council to prop up transparency

The European Parliament's Petitions and Civil Liberties committees have unanimously backed calls for the EU Council of Ministers to hold its meetings in public and declassify all documents related to legislative activities.