Brussels, 25/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Transparency Register, launched jointly by the European Commission and the European Parliament, celebrated its first anniversary but, on Friday 22 June, the transparency organisation Alter-EU was critical on Monday 25 June that many organisations were not on it. Alter-EU research has revealed that around a hundred firms, such as Goldman Sachs, which carry out lobbying activities within the European context, are not on the register. Some 70 interest groups, most of which are Brussels-based similarly do not feature. However, these are mainly the small and medium-sized lobby groups, most of the major interest groups having signed up. Most legal firms which conduct lobbying activities are also continuing to cold-shoulder the register, either by not signing up or by refusing to reveal whose interests they are representing. While most think tanks have registered, some, like the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), continue to turn their backs. The Alter-EU report is also critical of the fact that these think tanks are not required to reveal their funding sources, but merely have to indicate whether they are public or private. Alter-EU suggests that part of the reason for this “boycott” is that registration is voluntary. Registration means that a pass for the European Parliament is granted, thus making it de facto compulsory. For Alter-EU, this is no more than an illusion, however, as organisations can de-register for a certain time “if they want to keep certain activities, clients or expenses undeclared”. Alter-EU places responsibility on the two institutions which were behind the project: “the Transparency Register risks falling into disrepute if the Commission and Parliament allow it to continue in its current form”, the report states. It feels, too, that the register is not sufficiently closely monitored and that this undermines its credibility, and “raises questions about the register's contribution to increased transparency and accountability”. The European Commission has hailed the success of the register in its first year. So far, over 5,000 organisations have registered. (EL/transl.rt)