News
BackThe EU Commission made the decision this week that from 1 December it would publish all contacts and meetings of Members of the Commission on its homepage. This shall also apply to Cabinets and Directors General. The AK views the development regarding more transparency in the lobby business positively and regards it as an opportunity to make the voluntary transparency register mandatory at last!
Lobby contacts publicly available
When taking office, Jean-Claude Juncker declared that he wanted the new Commission to be more transparent than the old one. Now words are followed by actions. This week, the EU Commission has decided to increase transparency with regard to meetings of lobby groups with EU Commissioners, their Cabinets and Directors General. Hence, as of 1 December 2014, the homepage of the Commission will put all contacts and meetings with stakeholders and lobbyists in the public domain. The Vice President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans explained that he would be pleased if also the EU Parliament were to provide more transparency regarding its meetings and contacts.
More TTIP documents will also be made publicly available
Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström also intends to exercise additional openness and transparency in respect of the controversial TTIP negotiations by making more documents publicly available. According to Malmström, all MEPs should have the same access to the same TTIP documents.
Let’s have the mandatory lobby register!
The AK regards the engagement of the Commission with regard to the lobby transparency as long overdue and welcomes the disclosures as a first step in the right direction. However, there are still some areas, which need improving: for example, the question arises why only a part of the EU Commission has to disclose their contacts and not all Commission staff? However, almost even more important seems to be the question when the transparency register (lobby register) will be made mandatory at last. It has already been in existence since 2011; however, participation is voluntary and only a part of the lobbyists in Brussels has been registered. Hence, the AK has been supporting a mandatory lobby register for years to achieve more transparency!
More information:
Transparency register (lobby register)
Alter-EU letter to President Juncker concerning lobby transparency
When taking office, Jean-Claude Juncker declared that he wanted the new Commission to be more transparent than the old one. Now words are followed by actions. This week, the EU Commission has decided to increase transparency with regard to meetings of lobby groups with EU Commissioners, their Cabinets and Directors General. Hence, as of 1 December 2014, the homepage of the Commission will put all contacts and meetings with stakeholders and lobbyists in the public domain. The Vice President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans explained that he would be pleased if also the EU Parliament were to provide more transparency regarding its meetings and contacts.
More TTIP documents will also be made publicly available
Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström also intends to exercise additional openness and transparency in respect of the controversial TTIP negotiations by making more documents publicly available. According to Malmström, all MEPs should have the same access to the same TTIP documents.
Let’s have the mandatory lobby register!
The AK regards the engagement of the Commission with regard to the lobby transparency as long overdue and welcomes the disclosures as a first step in the right direction. However, there are still some areas, which need improving: for example, the question arises why only a part of the EU Commission has to disclose their contacts and not all Commission staff? However, almost even more important seems to be the question when the transparency register (lobby register) will be made mandatory at last. It has already been in existence since 2011; however, participation is voluntary and only a part of the lobbyists in Brussels has been registered. Hence, the AK has been supporting a mandatory lobby register for years to achieve more transparency!
More information:
Transparency register (lobby register)
Alter-EU letter to President Juncker concerning lobby transparency