About: Sophie in 't Veld Archives

The culture of European Union institutions need radical change to deliver the transparency that is vital to restore citizens' trust, writes Sophie in 't Veld.

EXCLUSIVE: The new European Commission must look again at the European Union’s deadlocked transparency regulation and push through long-delayed reforms, the EU Ombudsman, MEPs and a?ctivists have said.

Environmental campaigners have questioned the legality of the EU-US trade talks’ secrecy after a European Court of Justice ruling offered “a glimmer of hope” to see the negotiating mandate made public.

European Union documents relating to the EU-US trade deal, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), could be made public after a European Court of Justice ruling yesterday (3 July).

Geert Wilders’ populist Freedom Party (PVV) has suffered an electoral blow in The Netherlands’ EU elections, while the pro-European liberal party D66 is expected to claim the largest number of seats, according to an exit poll released on Thursday (22 May). The real winner may be abstention however.

The European Parliament yesterday (13 March) backed the European Commission’s pledge to create binding rules to increase the number of women in top jobs, if member states have not voluntarily taken action to redress gender imbalance in the workplace.

Pending the approval of the EU's rotating presidency, Brussels will start negotiations with the US aimed at reconciling a transatlantic divide in the protection of citizens' personal data. The talks mark a U-turn in the bloc's approach to EU-US anti-terror investigations.

The prospect of a swift ratification of the Lisbon Treaty following the Irish 'yes' last weekend will allow the European Parliament to re-open sensitive dossiers, including bilateral agreements on visa waivers with the United States, according to MEP Sophie in 't Veld.

An agreement was reached on 6 October 2006 about supplying information on transatlantic airline passengers to US authorities. Dutch MEP and Rapporteur Sophie in ´t Veld, speaking exclusively to EURACTIV, says the deal offers EU citizens no safeguards or redress if they are falsely accused.