Brussels, 18/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will hold a first policy debate on Wednesday 19 November on transparency and the new compulsory transparency register, in line with the promises made by Jean-Claude Juncker whose intention it is to negotiate an inter-institutional agreement on this.
This first debate will focus on the instructions to commissioners to make public their meetings with lobbyists and law firms, with a view to adopting a decision next week, according to a European source. Thereafter the Commission will hold another debate on how, with the other institutions, to establish this new compulsory transparency register, an issue that will not be dealt with directly on Wednesday. The Commission will adopt a decision on this issue, too, at a later time.
The College debates could very well be “lively”, according to the above source, with several commissioners having already expressed serious reservations on these transparency obligations, which beg the question whether these same obligations should extend to directors general and to members of the commissioners' private offices. While the issue may prove sensitive within the College, “things will happen nonetheless”, the source goes on, and Juncker will have the support needed.
The commitments made by Juncker have been welcomed by the NGOs and by some lobbyists, such as the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP), which would rather transparency was essentially left to the good will of the commissioners, however. (SP)