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BackLast week, the EU Commission and the European Parliament launched the new Joint Transparency Register. In it, lobbyists, as well as advocacy groups and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) provide information on their objectives, budget, personnel and the organisation itself, which can be accessed by the public.
The new Transparency Register replaces the current separate registers of the Commission and the European Parliament. It does not only include advocacy groups, but also NGOs, law firms or self-employed individuals. Apart from that, the extent of information will be broadened. Now, organisations are also obliged to provide details on the most important legislative proposals they have participated in and on the amount of EU funding they have received. Talks will start in September to discuss how the Council too can be integrated in the Transparency Register. The new register improves transparency; it does, however, have some weakness.
Unfortunately, an entry is the register is still not mandatory. “All organisations, whether trade and professional associations, NGOs, think tanks or others who have nothing to hide will be in the register and will provide the public and the institutions with information about their work. All those who are not in the register will have to be asked why they can't be transparent - and they will see their daily work made more difficult by not being registered, in particular through the requirements of the European Parliament,” said Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the Commission and Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration. To provide organisations with an incentive to register, the Commission plans to provide those that are registered with information on new consultations and the European Parliament intends to issue access cards only those organisations, which are registered.
However, more far-reaching measures would be welcome: mandatory registration, as also demanded by Parliament, should be the long-term goal. The examination of information has to be improved. The current system does not require scrutiny of every entry, but only random checks and checks in case of complaints. A study by ALTER-EU (Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation) on industrial association shows that many organisations do not provide sufficient information concerning their budget and that some of them are not even registered in the current registers. It demands, among others, more transparency as to who provides funding for these organisations, information on publications of organisations, which do not conform to the code of conduct as well as more updated and detailed information.
Further information:
Unfortunately, an entry is the register is still not mandatory. “All organisations, whether trade and professional associations, NGOs, think tanks or others who have nothing to hide will be in the register and will provide the public and the institutions with information about their work. All those who are not in the register will have to be asked why they can't be transparent - and they will see their daily work made more difficult by not being registered, in particular through the requirements of the European Parliament,” said Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the Commission and Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration. To provide organisations with an incentive to register, the Commission plans to provide those that are registered with information on new consultations and the European Parliament intends to issue access cards only those organisations, which are registered.
However, more far-reaching measures would be welcome: mandatory registration, as also demanded by Parliament, should be the long-term goal. The examination of information has to be improved. The current system does not require scrutiny of every entry, but only random checks and checks in case of complaints. A study by ALTER-EU (Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation) on industrial association shows that many organisations do not provide sufficient information concerning their budget and that some of them are not even registered in the current registers. It demands, among others, more transparency as to who provides funding for these organisations, information on publications of organisations, which do not conform to the code of conduct as well as more updated and detailed information.
Further information:
Transparency Register: Website
Press release of the Commission: Commission and European Parliament launch Joint Transparency Register to shed light on all those seeking to influence European policy
Questions and answers on the Transparency Register
ALTER-EU Study: The missing millions – how the new lobby register needs to tackle the 'under-reporting' by industry lobby groups
Press release of the Commission: Commission and European Parliament launch Joint Transparency Register to shed light on all those seeking to influence European policy
Questions and answers on the Transparency Register
ALTER-EU Study: The missing millions – how the new lobby register needs to tackle the 'under-reporting' by industry lobby groups