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Ethics and Transparency in the EU Institutions

European Union
Governance
Institutions
P038
Michelle Cini
University of Bristol

Floor: First Floor, Room: Aula 9

Friday 13:30 - 15:00 CEST (17/06/2016)

Abstract

In an attempt both to modernize and to improve their democratic legitimacy, the European Union institutions have introduced reforms which aim to improve the ethical standards governing the conduct of the EU's public servants, as well as the transparency of processes allowing for greater external scrutiny of what once were deemed internal institutional matters. Although the academic literature on EU governance is extensive, this aspect of the EU's executive order has largely (with some exceptions) been ignored. This panel seeks to rectify this situation by drawing attention to the themes of ethics, integrity and transparency in the EU institutions. The European Commission was the first to take on board criticisms concerning its internal governance but other EU institutions have followed suit, responding to NGO and media pressure to open up and to regulate in this area. With these developments in mind, the papers that form this panel deal with four cases covering the European Commission (ethics of officials; transparency of expert group appointments), the European Parliament (ethics reform), and the European Court of Auditors (ethics and financial accountability). These papers address cross-cutting questions relating to the motivations behind reforms of ethics and transparency systems, the nature of those reforms, and their effects (or effectiveness), and seek to explore the opportunities and tensions that arise from the discourse and practice of ethical governance in the EU.

Title Details
Public Ethics in European Administration: Integrity and Governance at the European Commission View Paper Details
Regulating Ethics in the European Parliament: Balancing Ethics and Independence View Paper Details
Monitoring the Commission Expert Groups: the EU’s Transparency Paradox View Paper Details
Towards a Core of Ethics Rules in EU Financial Management? The Contribution of the European Court of Auditors View Paper Details