The new VoteWatch website to be launched at this event provides easy access to the voting records of member states in the Council - a major innovation in EU transparency. For the first time ever, the European public will be able to monitor the votes of MEPs and ministers on the same item of legislation in both EU legislative chambers from July 2009 to the present. This unique dataset also forms the basis for the 2012 VoteWatch annual report, Agreeing to disagree: the voting records of EU member states in the Council since 2009, which will be launched at the event. VoteWatch.eu was launched in 2009 to serve as an information source for the European Parliament (EP) elections taking place that year. Since then, it has become the go-to source of information for citizens, journalists, NGOs, interest groups, politicians, civil servants, and anyone else interested in the policy positions, voting records and coalition formation trends of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), European political groups and EP national party delegations. The VoteWatch website has been completely revamped to make this information even simpler to access and understand. Using a 'one-stop-shop' search box, users of the website can browse voting data by MEP, nationality, key word or specific vote to find the information they need. They can also discover which MEP's voting record most closely matches their own political preferences by using the VoteMatch tool.PROGRAMMEPresentation of the new VoteWatch website by Doru Frantescu, VoteWatch Europe policy directorPresentation of the VoteWatch annual report by Dr Sara Hagemann, lecturer in EU Politics, LSE and VoteWatch Europe Vice-ChairPanel discussion and audience Q&A chaired by Michiel van Hulten, VoteWatch Europe managing director, with Sara Hagemann and:    - Fergal Ó Regan, Head of Complaints and Inquiries Unit, European Ombudsman    - Ronny Patz, political scientist, transparency campaigner and blogger on EU affairs    - Council / member state representative (tbc)Participation is free of charge. A copy of the VoteWatch Europe annual report will be provided on arrival (it will not be made available before then). To register, please send an email to events (at) votewatch.eu by Wednesday 4 July, 12.00. Please specify if you plan to come to the sandwich lunch (13.00 onwards). There will be a limited opportunity for journalists to speak with the authors immediately following the event. If you wish to make use of this possibility, please mention this in your registration email.  VoteWatch Europe is funded by grants from the Open Society Institute and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. It receives in-kind support from Burson-Marsteller and White and Case.