THE SCANDINAVIAN TRADITION OF OPEN GOVERNMENT AND THE EUROPEAN-UNION - PROBLEMS OF COMPATIBILITY

Two recent developments have brought the issue of transparency in Euro pean Union (EU) policy making on to the agenda of the European Communi ty. First, increased attention to the Community's democracy or legitim acy deficit has brought into focus the technocratic policy style which characterizes Community institutions and decision-making bodies. Seco nd, the 1995 accession of Sweden and Finland has reinforced an alterna tive tradition of public policy-making and administration which challe nges traditional Community policy styles. This article compares the po licy of open government in Sweden and Denmark with recent attempts to render European policy making more transparent to the public. It is ar gued that the concept of transparency is basically perceived different ly in the Scandinavian member states than in the Community institution s 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 publ ic policy-makers accountable. Community style transparency, on the oth er hand, is primarily directed at keeping the public informed of ongoi ng activities. Transparency through public access may seem alien and u nsuitable to policy-makers used to operating in more closed polities, but the Scandinavian way of addressing politico-administrative account ability does offer a possible solution to the Community's perceived le gitimacy deficit.