Transparency of the institutions is required by the Treaties of the EU (article 15 TFEU), while the right of access to documents from the institutions is stated in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (article 42).
This begs the question, how do the Permanent Representations of Member States to the EU hold up in this regard?
In 2023, Civil Society Europe carried out a comprehensive assessment on the level of transparency of all Permanent Representations to the EU, using publicly available information from their websites as the information source.
Their updated analysis looks to identify if any improvements have been made since then, or if transparency has worsened across the Permanent Representations.
The Permanent Representations of Member States to the European Union act as an official link between national governments and EU institutions, playing an important role in shaping EU policies. It can therefore be expected that they showcase a high level of transparency. This includes giving civil society organisations and other concerned parties the opportunity to engage with Ambassadors and civil servants. Access to information is a necessary condition for participation in public policy-making and maintaining an “open, transparent, and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society” (article 11 TEU). Another important aspect is keeping a public record of these exchanges to allow for public awareness of the different entities aiming to influence EU policy-making, and whether balance between different interests is ensured.
The results show a notable difference in the level of transparency displayed by the Permanent Representations. A handful make all relevant information publicly available, while others barely reveal their organisational structure and which groups Ambassadors are meeting. This difference is similar to what we found in CSE 2023 analysis. While we welcome several Permanent Representations bettering their transparency efforts and some even achieving full transparency, improvements must be made across the board to ensure transparency is consistent.
You can find the spreadsheet ranking here, and the spreadsheet comparing 2023 to 2024/2025 here.
*The analysis only takes into account the information made publicly available. It does not take into account elements such as the availability to respond to inquiries, accept meetings with stakeholders etc…
