 Every citizen shall have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union. Decisions shall be taken as openly and as closely as possible to the citizen. These lofty words are from the Treaty on the European Union. Democratic transparency is a key principle of the European project, at least in theory. In practice, the reality is very different. In the words of Emilio Reilly, who as European ombudsman is tasked with defending the rights of citizens, it is virtually impossible for a citizen to know how a European law came into being and what the position of his or her country's government was on that law. So what is behind this veil of secrecy? The European Union is governed by three principal institutions, the European Commission, which proposes laws, the European Parliament, which quotes on them, and the Council of the European Union. The Council is made up of representatives of all 27 EU governments. It has about 3,000 members of staff and a massive complex bureaucracy, holding an average of 3,961 meetings per year. Most importantly, it has the power to approve or reject all proposed laws. And yet, this critical body convenes mostly behind doors that remain firmly shut. For a law to be approved by the Council, a qualified majority is needed. This creates a bazaar of influence, where states big and small trade favours. Meanwhile, the public can only guess at the deals being struck out of sight. Currently, more than 30 draft laws, many of them highly relevant to citizens, have been stuck with the Council for three years or more. The European Court of Justice itself has demanded more transparency, ruling in the Landmarker di Capitani case that the EU's institutions must publish decisive documents, but the Council has yet to comply. This is why Investigate Europe has launched the project Secrets of the Council. Over the coming months, Investigate Europe's reporters will work to reveal the inner workings of Europe's most powerful institution. A lot is at stake. While governments may find the Council's veil of secrecy convenient, populists use it to discredit the whole European project. But it is the people who will ultimately decide the future of Europe. And they must not be left in the dark.