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BackThis week, the liberal MEP Diana Wallis and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovic, responsible for Inter-institutional Relations and Administration invited to an Information Seminar at the European Parliament (EP). Presented were the first concrete results, which were agreed by a working group for a joint lobby register made up by EP and Commission. Whether this attempt can give an answer to the question "Who´s knocking on our doors?" – so the title of the event –, is doubtful.
The EU capital does widely agree that lobbying is a central part of political and legislative activities. After Washington, Brussels is regarded as the second largest stomping ground for lobbyists. Representatives of Banks, various NGOs, trade unions and many others try to exert influence, especially on Commission and Parliament. It is therefore even more important to make the activities of the various lobbyists transparent and comprehensible.
European institutions, however, are nowhere near this. There is not even a central register, which includes all lobbyists.
That is exactly what the working group mentioned above under the leadership of Wallis and Šefčovic is concerned with. The objective is to combine the registration system of the Parliament and that of the Commission. A central lobby register shall provide MEPs and Commission officials as well as citizens with information on lobbying persons and organisations. It is the aim of the working group to sign as soon as possible an agreement between Parliament and Commission and to establish such a register within the next 12 to 18 months.
Does it exactly what it says on the tin?
The results towards an agreement, which were presented on Wednesday, could be called the first little step in the right direction, they do, however, not yet fulfil the demand for transparency and completeness.
One had, said Šefčovic, agreed on the name Transparency Register instead of Lobby Register. According to Wallis, the Register should have 6 subgroups:
The entry in the register is not mandatory, that means neither appointments with MEPs nor Commission officials nor does the opportunity to submit written positions on legislative initiatives require registration. Apart from that it is not clear which details organisations have to provide regarding e.g. budget, employees or lobbying targets to be able to register.
Wallis, as did her Social Democrat colleague in the working group, Jo Leinen, came out in favour of making registering obligatory. Šefčovic relies on lobbying organisations registering for the fact alone that they want to preserve their good reputation.
Transparency means more
In the discussion that followed, the Green MEP Carl Schlyter suggested several more far-reaching measures to achieve transparency. He is in favour of a register for documents received and that appointments should be available in the same amount to lobbyists from business, NGOs and others.
The question was also touched to what extent the Council, as the third of the legislative institutions, should follow calls for more transparency. Wallis and Šefčovic for example have invited the Council to participate in the joint register. The invited representative of the Belgian Presidency commented that it was mostly in the Member States where lobbyists tried to influence decisions of the Council. Nevertheless, one would follow closely the activities of EP and Commission. One would discuss the invitation in the competent Council Working Group in the near future.
Further information:
European Commission: Register of Interest representatives
Press release of the Parliament
Parliament Magazine with an article by Diana Wallis
European institutions, however, are nowhere near this. There is not even a central register, which includes all lobbyists.
That is exactly what the working group mentioned above under the leadership of Wallis and Šefčovic is concerned with. The objective is to combine the registration system of the Parliament and that of the Commission. A central lobby register shall provide MEPs and Commission officials as well as citizens with information on lobbying persons and organisations. It is the aim of the working group to sign as soon as possible an agreement between Parliament and Commission and to establish such a register within the next 12 to 18 months.
Does it exactly what it says on the tin?
The results towards an agreement, which were presented on Wednesday, could be called the first little step in the right direction, they do, however, not yet fulfil the demand for transparency and completeness.
One had, said Šefčovic, agreed on the name Transparency Register instead of Lobby Register. According to Wallis, the Register should have 6 subgroups:
- Professional consultancies and law firms
- So called „In-house lobbyists“, amongst others from Corporations or Trade Unions
- NGOs
- Think Tanks, academic and research institutions
- Organisations representing churches and religious communities
- Authorities
The entry in the register is not mandatory, that means neither appointments with MEPs nor Commission officials nor does the opportunity to submit written positions on legislative initiatives require registration. Apart from that it is not clear which details organisations have to provide regarding e.g. budget, employees or lobbying targets to be able to register.
Wallis, as did her Social Democrat colleague in the working group, Jo Leinen, came out in favour of making registering obligatory. Šefčovic relies on lobbying organisations registering for the fact alone that they want to preserve their good reputation.
Transparency means more
In the discussion that followed, the Green MEP Carl Schlyter suggested several more far-reaching measures to achieve transparency. He is in favour of a register for documents received and that appointments should be available in the same amount to lobbyists from business, NGOs and others.
The question was also touched to what extent the Council, as the third of the legislative institutions, should follow calls for more transparency. Wallis and Šefčovic for example have invited the Council to participate in the joint register. The invited representative of the Belgian Presidency commented that it was mostly in the Member States where lobbyists tried to influence decisions of the Council. Nevertheless, one would follow closely the activities of EP and Commission. One would discuss the invitation in the competent Council Working Group in the near future.
Further information:
European Commission: Register of Interest representatives
Press release of the Parliament
Parliament Magazine with an article by Diana Wallis