Transparency in the Council of the European Union has increased over the last decade, but only for the least controversial negotiations

The Council of the European Union has often been criticised from the perspective that it lacks transparency in its decision-making. James P. Cross assesses the censorship of Council records in the period since transparency legislation was introduced in 2001. He notes that while transparency has increased during this period, censorship of Council records is much more common in areas with high levels of controversy and disagreement between national governments. The fact that compromises may be easier to achieve in ‘closed doors’ negotiations means that there is a trade-off between establishing maximum transparency and increasing the efficiency of the decision-making process.