‘Trickling-up’ transparency in the EU: Health Check CAP Proposal Leaked

Alejandro — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:31:38 +0000

Recently, I’ve been working on how the Internet is affecting the system of transparency on public policy in liberal democracies. In fact, it has become the subject of my doctoral research. The basic thesis says that the Internet allows to what I call ‘trickling-up’ transparency, that is, a gradual and continuous bottom-up process of access to information on public policy. I will develop more on the subject in later posts, but for now I’d like to make reference to a very recent example.

Yesterday, Thursday May 15 2008, an anonymous person leaked to Wikileaks – a website dedicated to publish leaked documents whilst guaranteeing the anonymity of the leaker – the “latest European Commission proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, known as the ‘health check’. These proposals will form the basis of an internal Commission discussion on 14 and 15 May 2008. The agreed proposals are due out later in the month.” This is at this moment a confidential document for internal discussion. Now, anybody can read it and discuss it, thanks to the Internet.

Alejandro@Oxford » transparency

‘Trickling-up’ transparency in the EU: Health Check CAP Proposal Leaked