EU Reported to Adopt Strong New Secrecy Rules Saturday, 26 August 2000 6:19 (ET) EU Reported to Adopt Strong New Secrecy Rules BRUSSELS, Belgium Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The International Herald Tribune reports European Union governments have quietly adopted new secrecy rules. In an article published Saturday, The Herald Tribune said the new rules apparently limit the public's right to know what EU officials are doing in several different areas of both military and civilian activities. According to the news report, the rules were adopted at the urging of Javier Solana, the EU's high representative for foreign and security affairs. Taking the action were the European ambassadors to the EU in Brussels who then made it known only in an unpublicized written procedure in Brussels while the European Parliament was on vacation. According to some "unnamed" EU officials, the action is expected to provoke a political uproar when the Parliament returns next month. The European Parliament and the relatively new European Council have both been struggling to increase - not lessen - openness on EU matters. As described in the Herald Tribune, the new rules impose the same kind of secrecy on various European matters as the military secrecy directives employed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Solana was NATO secretary-general until last year. As spelled out in the unpublicized memo, the new rules assert information may be withheld from the European public on a vast number of security issues, including "public security, the security and defense of the Union or one of its member states, military or nonmilitary crisis management, international relations, monetary stability, court proceedings, inspections and investigations." The news report also describes rules "so restrictive" that even the fact that certain classified documents exist may not be disclosed. A spokesman at the European Council Secretariat, which Solana heads, has declined to describe how much information can be kept from the public. But he did say restrictions likely would be limited to operational details about EU military or nonmilitary engagements in places like the Balkans. European ombudsman Jacob Sodemanhas, who has most vocally and openly campaigned for greater transparency in the EU, according to the herald Tribune has attacked the new secrecy code as unnecessary, saying that covering military and nonmilitary issues with similar rules only confuses the issue. He earlier told the the newspaper Aamulehti in Tampere, Finland, that Solana's appointment had been a "serious mistake." Until now, the code of practice adopted in 1993, permitted EU citizens to request any EU document, and EU institutions were obliged to justify refusals on a case-by-case basis. The herald Tribune says this has now been amended. The EU reports it received 6,700 requests for public documents lastr year - in general requests from lawyers, academics and journalists. The EU says it refused in only 900 occasions. In many of those cases, the matter was appealed to the ombudsman. -- Copyright 2000 by United Press International. All rights reserved. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
