EU

Mandatory registration of #lobbyists in Transparency Register

Published

10 years ago

October 7, 2016

A Commission proposal to tighten up existing rules for the Transparency Register, which lists independent organisations and other lobbyists seeking access to the EU institutions, was welcomed by MEPs in a debate on Wednesday evening. The changes would include the Council in the system alongside the Commission and Parliament, clarify definitions, improve monitoring and introduce penalties for breaches. MEPs debated the proposal on Wednesday evening (5 October).

MEPs, who have long advocated a mandatory system covering all EU institutions, welcomed the reform. They stressed the importance of genuine transparency to improve democratic legitimacy and boost citizens’ trust in the three law-making institutions. The step forward is in the right direction, but not yet sufficient, according to some MEPs. They underlined that the rules on conflicts of interests and clear codes of conduct must also be worked on.

You can watch the video recording of the debate here.

In 2011, the European Parliament introduced a joint register with the European Commission. (Before that Parliament had its own, voluntary system.)From 2008, in various resolutions, Parliament called on other EU institutions also to opt for a mandatory register. It also took several further incentive measures, such as precluding any lobby representative not listed in the Transparency Register from speaking at its public hearings, and introducing a facilitated accreditation system.

More information