NORTH EAST MEP FIGHTS TO END SECRECY

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 8th Sep 2005

Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament have won strong cross-party support for their campaign to force ministers to debate new EU laws in public.

North East Euro-MP Fiona Hall has joined with the leaders of all the UK political groups in the European Parliament in demanding that Britain uses its current presidency of the EU to inject new openness into decision-making.

Fiona Hall has today signed the joint declaration to the Parliament, which has been supported by the leaders of the five main political groups in the European Parliament; the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives, Labour, and also UKIP and the Green Party.

The show of unity by the Britain's political bosses in Europe will increase pressure on Tony Blair to take a lead in bringing about change before the end of the year. The MEPs point out that the improvement requires only a simple change in the standing orders of ministerial meetings, needing the support of just 13 of Europe's 25 member states.

EU laws are drafted by the European Commission and then amended or rejected both by the European Parliament and by the Council of Ministers. While MEPs meet in public, government ministers meeting in Brussels debate new laws behind closed doors.

Fiona Hall MEP described the support she had received from political rivals as "remarkable", and congratulated them for taking political risks in signing the joint declaration.

"It shows the European Parliament at it best," she said. "Instead of point-scoring against opponents MEPs frequently bridge party differences when we share common cause, although rarely to this extent."

Ms. Hall commented: "We are agreed that it is quite wrong for ministers to continue debating new EU laws behind closed doors in Brussels. If MPs in national parliaments are to do their job of holding ministers to account they have to know what is being said in their country's name."