Est. 2min 08-05-2008 (updated: 28-05-2012 ) suit_briefcase_pic_isp.jpg Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram A mandatory register of lobbyists common to all EU institutions must be set up as soon as possible, said global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International ahead of today’s (8 May) vote on a lobbying report in the European Parliament. Parliament will vote on the report, originally drafted by Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and for which German MEP Ingo Friedrich (EPP-ED) is now the rapporteur, during its plenary session in Brussels on 8 May. The upcoming lobbyists register must include “detailed legislative footprints showing which lobbyists were consulted on and contributed to individual bits of legislation” if it is to provide a “strong tool for making the goals and methods of EU lobbyists more transparent,” Jana Mittermaier, the head of Transparency International’s Brussels office, argued yesterday (7 May). The anti-corruption watchdog identified the following “most effective means for improving transparency and accountability in lobbying at EU level”: Naming individual lobbyists; Disclosing full financial means of all lobbyists, including think tanks and lawyers; Introducing monitoring and sanction mechanisms for cases of lobbying misconduct, and; Ensuring there is a strong, detailed and properly enforced code of conduct in place to complement the mandatory register. Regardless of the outcome of the vote in Parliament, the Commission is expected to launch its own register in the near future. The EU executive needs to ensure its register is “up and running before the summer break,” said Mittermaier, calling for the timeline for this to be accelerated so the future joint register can “build on the experience and the infrastructure” of its counterpart. Read more with Euractiv 'Moment of truth' approaching for lobbying transparency The European Parliament is widely expected to approve a landmark report on lobbying during its Brussels plenary session next week (8 May), representing a key moment in the drive to improve the transparency of the EU institutions and the estimated 15,000 lobbyists who seek to influence them. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters PositionsAhead of today's vote, politicians and pressure groups alike outlined their positions on lobbying in the EU institutions. Welcoming the likely adoption of the report, the Socialist Group in the European Parliament said drawing up new rules for lobbyists will "help reinforce the confidence of citizens in the legislative work of the European Parliament and make the relationship between lobbyists and the European Parliament more transparent". Socialist MEP Richard Corbett (UK) said the Socialist Group supports "all the proposals in the report" and expressed his hope that the debate and vote would go well. EPP-ED TV presenter Eimear O'Mahony told the group's online television channel that the report will "ensure a transparent relationship between lobbying and the Parliament". Lobbyists "play an essential role in the open and pluralistic dialogue of the EU legislative process," she added. Finnish MEP Anneli Jäätteenmäki, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group in the European Parliament, said "ALDE recognise that interest groups are a vital and necessary part of the democratic process," but called for more transparency "right across the board". Advocating "maximum disclosure of lobbying activity", Jäätteenmäki said ALDE "agree that a common register with the other institutions is a good idea". Describing the report as a "good starting point despite several attempts to water it down," the European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) group said its call for a "mandatory register for all lobbyists with full financial disclosure, along with rules on monitoring and sanctioning abuses" was "much needed". Monica Frassoni, the co-president of the Greens / European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament, said the vote gives MEPs a "unique chance to live up to the expectations of citizens regarding transparency in the EU institutions," adding: "The credibility of the Parliament on this issue is at stake and we believe citizens should weigh the talk of their MEP with their actual voting on the issue of transparency." Regarding the definition of lobbyists, Frassoni insisted that when engaging in lobbying activities, lawyers must be made to register "in the same way as all other lobbyists". She also called for a "serious sanction mechanism" involving the "publication of those lobbyists who act in an unethical way" to be introduced. Moreover, "detailed information on finances and expenditures linked to lobbying activities" must be included in a common register for all three institutions "established by the end of this year," Frassoni said. Jana Mittermaier, the head of Transparency International's Brussels office, stressed the need for the EU to "increase transparency and accountability in lobbying practices to prevent undue influence and to strengthen the trust of European citizens in European institutions". "There are more than 15,000 lobbyists wandering the halls of the European institutions looking to influence EU legislation," she added. Friends of the Earth Europe's Paul de Clerck, a member of the steering committee of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), called on MEPs to "face up to their responsibilities and take this opportunity to achieve real and lasting progress in improving transparency of lobbying activities in Brussels". ALTER-EU is calling for a common, mandatory register for "all lobbyists" to be introduced including their names and those of their clients and financial backers, featuring "full financial disclosure" and "action to close loopholes on registration for lawyers". BackgroundThe European Parliament is widely expected to approve a landmark report on lobbying during its Brussels plenary session today (8 May), representing a key moment in the drive to improve the transparency of the EU institutions and the estimated 15,000 lobbyists who seek to influence them (EURACTIV 30/04/08). Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee recommended on 1 April that a proposal for a mandatory lobbyists register common to all three EU institutions be drawn up by the end of the year, providing "full financial disclosure" of EU lobbying activities in Brussels (EURACTIV 03/04/08). The report is the focal point of Parliament's contribution to the wider transparency initiative launched by Administration and Anti-Fraud Commissioner Siim Kallas in 2005. The transparency of the Parliament's activities has been under intense scrutiny recently following a request from the institution's political group leaders for the European Business and Parliament Scheme (which provides a link between MEPs and business representatives) to be removed from its premises in the wake of accusations over its influence on policy (EURACTIV 28/04/08). Timeline 8 May 2008: Parliament expected to adopt the Stubb / Friedrich report on lobbying. By summer 2008: Commission expected to launch its own lobbyists register. By end 2008: Inter-institutional working group to present proposal for a common lobbyists register (providing report is adopted). Further ReadingEU official documents European Parliament:Lobbying report (consolidated version to be voted upon): [FR] [FR] [DE] European Parliament (Legislative Tracker):Final text as adoped by committee (including opinions) [FR] [FR] [DE] European Parliament (Legislative Observatory):Procedure file for lobbying report [FR] European Union European Commission:Transparency Initiative [FR] [FR] [DE] Political Groups Greens / EFA:Lobbying: EU parliament must live up to citizens' expectations on transparency(7 May 2008) [DE] Socialist Group:Activities of lobbyists in the European institutions(8 May 2008) EU Actors positions Transparency International:TI urges adoption of robust EU lobbying register(7 May 2008)
