
Secret EU lawmaking: the triumph of the trialogues
The setting could not be less spectacular – but trilogue meetings are a central hub of the EU's law-making machine.
Monday
27th Mar 2023
The setting could not be less spectacular – but trilogue meetings are a central hub of the EU's law-making machine.
From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.
Large Language Models could give the powers trained data-journalists wield, to regular boring journalists like me — who don't know how to use Python. And that makes me tremendously excited, to be honest.
Classified files can damage EU interests if they get into the wrong hands. But where is the line between security and transparency? What is the difference between a lobbyist and a spy? EUobserver investigates.
"SECRET UE" is the fourth in a series of EUobserver investigative reports. It looks at what kind of high-value information the EU institutions have, who wants it and how they are trying to protect it.
Andrew Rettman writes about foreign relations for EUobserver. He joined the site in 2005 and specialises in Israel, Russia, the EU foreign service and security issues. He is 37 years old and was born in Warsaw, Poland.
A plan to cut spending on IT security in the EU diplomatic corps is causing concern among officials who handle classified files.
EU countries have a protocol for sharing official "secrets." But motives for classifying files are not always pure and the number of really hush hush papers in Brussels is tiny.
Lobby firms are the "eyes and ears" of their clients, with the daily hunt for EU information worth up to 70 percent of their business.
The head of Belgium's intelligence service has said Brussels is home to more spies than almost any other city.
EUobserver's list of 144 lobby firms in Brussels, with financial data where available.
With Belgium's spy-catcher-in-chief speaking out on espionage in the EU capital, TargetBRUSSELS and EUobserver profile recent cases which came out in the open.
Full transcript of EUobserver interview with Alain Winants, the head of the Belgian intelligence service, the VSSE, on espionage in Brussels.