WP 6 : Accountability, responsibility and transparency in an enlarged Europe

This section's articles

• Round Table on Ethics and Security : Security as an exceptional realm within a democratic polity

  31 January 2007, by Seone Perez Francisco
  The current popular discomfort with decisions regarding security reminds us of an intrinsic paradox in our democratic systems. In order to be deemed democratic, a state or a polity must be guided by the will of the people. However, following Weber, a state can only guarantee the freedom and liberty of its constituents if it retains the monopoly of violence. The global scope of contemporary terrorism, one of the most evident incarnations of private violence, is what explains in part the political claims made by governments inter alia to justify the resort to secrecy and confidentiality among governments across Europe and the world.

• Challenge Round table: Lack of accountability in security policies undermines EU legitimacy

  31 January 2007, by Seone Perez Francisco
  Biometric controls and other e-security applications are being implemented across the European Union by its member states and border management agencies. Scholars gathered by the Jean Monnet European Centre of Excellence at the University of Leeds to discuss the balance between security and liberty in the age of global terrorism concluded that there is an urgent need to make governments accountable for the use (and potential misuse) of biometric technologies if trust in e-security is to be gained among the citizenry.

• ‘Making’ Security: Citizenship, Public Sphere and the Condition of Symbolic Annihilation

  11 December 2006, by Sarikakis Katharine
  This paper explores the relationship between new forms of European governance, as expressed through security-focused policies, and the European citizen. It seeks to unravel the contextual framework within which the notion of civil liberties, citizens’ participation in the democratisation of supranational and international politics, and the supranational governance are re-defined. The paper argues that the processes of ‘securitisation’ have an impact for the democratic functioning of citizenship by a) restricting the spaces and processes of action and communication among citizens b) restricting citizens’ access to policymaking, in particular in highly sensitive areas, for their effect on civil liberties; and c) prioritising the executive branches of the European polity at the expense of representative politics and the judiciary. This combination of policy trends contributes to the ‘symbolic annihilation’ of EU citizens.

• Security and Privacy in Estonia

  23 May 2006, by Lodge Juliet, Mayer Terry
  The decision to issue compulsory eID cards in Estonia was taken in 2000, and the first cards were introduced in 2002. The scheme is regulated by the Identity Documents Act. Data on all holders - including the personal ID numbers - are available in a public certificate directory. The cards contain two authentication keys, and a unique personal email address which is designed to be valid for life. It is used to forward communications to an individual’s ‘real’ email accounts. By the end of May 2005 around 765,000 cards had been issued to citizens.

• Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency in an Enlarged Europe

  30 November 2004, by Lodge Juliet
  The project seeks to provide data on transparency, accountability and effective risk management for the consortium Observatory. This involves a number of seminars, conferences and reports. The aims are to identify and define the parameters of transparency that might be compatible with the requirements of effective risk management and accountable, responsible, open governance across increasingly ‘securitised’ policy areas where ‘securitisation jeopardises openness, accountability and responsibility.