Brussels, 15/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament has approved - by 646 votes in favour, 7 against and 14 abstentions - the report by Roberto Gualtieri (S&D, Italy) on amending the interinstitutional agreement on the transparency register.
The Parliament approved measures encouraging lobbyists working in European circles to sign the transparency register. MEPs reiterated their request to make the register obligatory. Alongside this, they adopted new arrangements aiming to encourage interest groups to make their relations with the EU transparent.
So far, around 75% of all professional organisations and about 60% of the NGOs operating in Brussels have signed the register. The Parliament has asked the European Commission to put forward a proposal by the end of 2016 so as to make signing the register obligatory.
MEPs have asked for the introduction of the following incentive measures to encourage lobbyists to sign the register: - encourage Parliament staff and MEPs, when approached by a lobbying firm that is not registered, to urge it to register before meeting its representatives; - restrict access to Parliament premises for non-registered organisations; - facilitate authorisation to organise or co-host events for registered lobbyists; - allow registered lobbyists to take part as speakers in committee hearings; - restrict the Parliament's patronage of events to registered lobbyists. The Parliament also calls on the Commission to adopt similar measures.
Clearer definitions. The Parliament wants a more detailed definition of the notion of “inappropriate behaviour” than the one given in the code of conduct attached to the register, and it calls for the identity of all the clients represented by each registered organisation to be completely disclosed.
The current register was set up jointly by the Parliament and Commission in 2011. These new measures will be implemented internally by the Parliament. (LC)