Sir, - Such is the misleading impression given in Mr Vincent Browne's column (April 3rd) about Government policy on public access to EU Council documents, that it cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.
The following are some key points, which for some reason Mr Browne chose to ignore. (1) Since 1994, in discussions among foreign ministers on questions of public access to EU Council documents, Ireland has consistently been among the countries favouring greater openness.
(2) The Guardian journalist, John Carvel, who took legal action against the Council of Ministers demanding access to documents, has publicly acknowledged (in an article published on October 20th 1995) Ireland's place alongside Denmark and the Netherlands on this issue.
(3) On foot of efforts by those member states, including Ireland, who argued for easier access to council documents, the Council of Ministers last year agreed on significantly more liberal rules on the release of council documents. This means that documents are now made available unless a specific decision to the contrary is taken by the Council of Ministers.
The recent White Paper on Foreign Policy states that the Government will be amongst those "taking a lead" in ensuring that the current Intergovernmental Conference results in a further significant improvement in the transparency of the European Union in the future. - Yours, etc.,
Press Councillor,
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Dublin 2.