Brussels, 24/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU Council of Ministers welcomes and supports the initiative triggered by the European Parliament and the Commission with a view to setting up a joint Transparency Register. The Council was invited to take part in the Transparency Register by the European Parliament and the Commission. In a press release, the Council states it is “ready to consider having a role in the Register and looks forward to discussing the possible modalities with the two other institutions”.
The Council considers transparency as a principle of paramount importance for the European Union. The treaties stipulate that, in order to promote good governance and ensure civil society participation, the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies should conduct their work as openly as possible and that decisions be taken as openly and closely as possible to the citizens.
On 23 June, the new EP/Commission Transparency Register was launched to provide information on all those seeking to gain influence over European policy. This new Register replaces that which had been established by the Commission in 2008, and already contains over 4,000 organisations. The Register extends coverage well beyond traditional lobbyists to include law firms, NGOs, think tanks and indeed any organisation or self-employed individual engaged in influencing EU policy making and implementation. Registrants will also have to provide more information than before, such as the number of staff involved in advocacy, the main legislative proposals they have covered, as well as the amount of EU funding they have received. (L.C./transl.jl)