Brussels, 19/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 18 March, the committee on constitutional affairs of the European Parliament approved a raft of measures aiming to improve the transparency register, which lobbyists working in Brussels are invited to sign. The MEPs reiterated their request to make the register obligatory. At the same time, they adopted new provisions aiming to encourage interest groups to make their relations with the EU more transparent.
The committee on constitutional affairs adopted the report by Roberto Gualtieri (S&D, Italy) on the amendment of the inter-institutional agreement on the transparency register. “The approval of this report, which endorses an agreement reached by Parliament and the European Commission, is an important step towards greater transparency of the EU institutions. We insist on our request for a mandatory register for all organisations engaged in EU policy-making and call on the Commission to take all necessary steps for this purpose. Parliament pledges to adapt its internal provisions in order to guarantee incentives for the registered organisations”, the rapporteur commented.
So far, an estimated 75% of all relevant business-related organisations and approximately 60% of NGOs operating in Brussels have signed the register. The parliamentary committee reiterated its demand that signing the register be made compulsory and asked the European Commission to table a proposal, by the end of 2016, to this end.
Incentive measures. The committee backed the introduction of the following incentive measures for the signature of the register: - further facilitation of access to Parliament premises and help in contacting MEPs; - easy authorisation to organise or co-host events on its premises; - facilitation of transmission of information, including through specific mailing lists; - participation as speakers in committee hearings; - better chances of getting patronage by the institution for events. The parliamentary committee urges the Commission to adopt similar measures.
Clearer definitions. The committee called for a more detailed definition of the notion of “inappropriate behaviour”, as defined in the Code of Conduct attached to the register. The MEPs called for full disclosure of the identity of all clients represented by each registered organisation.
These measures will be implemented internally by the Parliament. The MEPs also asked for an evaluation of the register before the end of 2017.
The current register was set up jointly by the Parliament and the Commission in 2011. The Parliament is always wanted the register to become compulsory, but it is proving difficult to find a suitable legal basis for this in the EU Treaty. (LC)