‘Wetten zijn als worstjes. Je kunt maar beter niet zien hoe ze gemaakt zijn.’ Met dat argument verdedigde voormalig minister Donner waarom hij de Wet Openbaarheid van Bestuur wilde inperken. Juriste Lise Witteman is het daar volstrekt mee oneens. Als 'onze vrouw in Brussel' volgt ze politieke lobby's en netwerken in de Europese hoofdstad.
Meer over Lise WittemanHundreds of thousands of euros from alleged bribes stashed in a suitcase. Deleted text messages setting out deals worth billions of euros. There's no shortage of drama in the EU's unofficial capital.
How is this possible? And how do we keep 'Brussels' under control?
These are crucial questions for the fledgling democracy that is the European Union – especially now that leaders with little interest in democratic values are coming to power in a growing number of member states. And the gap between the average European citizens and Brussels’ bureaucracy is enormous.
Who are the watchdogs controlling the EU? And how can they counterbalance the hermetic power of Brussels?
In this book, investigative platform Follow the Money reveals how the watchdogs watched helplessly from their cage at crucial moments. Who’s watching Brussels? is an impassioned plea for European supervision with sharp teeth.
