The Scandinavian tradition of open government and the European Union: problems of compatibility?

Two recent developments have brought the issue of transparency in European Union (EU) policy making on to the agenda of the European Community. First, increased attention to the Community's democracy or legitimacy deficit has brought into focus the technocratic policy style which characterizes Community institutions and decision-making bodies. Second, the 1995 accession of Sweden and Finland has reinforced an alternative tradition of public policy-making and administration which challenges traditional Community policy styles. This article compares the policy of open government in Sweden and Denmark with recent attempts to render European policy making more transparent to the public. It is argued that the concept of transparency is basically perceived differently in the Scandinavian member states than in the Community institutions and most other member states. The core element of Scandinavian style transparency is extensive public access to official documents, files and registers which is perceived as an important means of holding public policy-makers accountable. Community style transparency, on the other hand, is primarily directed at keeping the public informed of ongoing activities. Transparency through public access may seem alien and unsuitable to policy-makers used to operating in more closed polities, but the Scandinavian way of addressing politico-administrative accountability does offer a possible solution to the Community's perceived legitimacy deficit.