In Brussels on Tuesday 21 March, the committee on constitutional affairs of the European Parliament adopted (20 votes in favour, two against and two abstentions) the report by Sven Giegold (Green/EFA, Germany), presenting ideas to reinforce transparency, accountability and integrity within the European institutions.
In its adoption of this own-initiative report, the competent committee stresses that all European lobbyists seeking to influence the legislative process should be required to sign the transparency register before they can be authorised to meet members of the European Parliament in the Parliament buildings.
No 'cooling-off period' for MEPs. The Greens/EFA group regrets the fact that the report does not call for a 'cooling-off period' for MEPs, which means that “members can take the revolving door into lobby jobs directly after their mandate”, the group reiterates. Giegold had proposed that the code of conduct set in place a cooling-off period of three years before MEPs are permitted to carry out interest-representation activities in areas that came under their parliamentary responsibilities. Additionally, the ethical committee of the Parliament would not be able to be examined by external experts.
A legislative footprint... as an option. The MEPs welcomed the request of the Bureau of the Parliament to set in place a legislative footprint system which will be voluntary for MEPs, stating which representatives and organisations they have consulted. Giegold wanted this legislative footprint to be compulsory for rapporteurs and chairs of committees.
Limited access to non-cooperative lobbyists. The MEPs reiterate the need to remove the access privileges granted to lobbyists who refuse to cooperate with the Parliament in investigations or meetings of parliamentary committees for fact-finding purposes. The chairs of the parliamentary committees and other MEPs should only talk to interest groups that are registered, either inside or outside the Parliament, and publish these meetings online.
Extended 'cooling-off period' for former Commissioners. The report stresses the need to reinforce the restrictions applied to former Commissioners taking part in lobbying activities, by extending their 'cooling-off period' to 3 years (from one and a half years currently) after they leave office.
Increased transparency and access to documents. The documents from informal negotiations on legislative drafts between the three main institutions of the EU should be directly available on the Parliament website. However, the MEPs believe that Parliament should have improved access to information and documents regarding EU trade policy.
The Greens/EFA welcome calls for lobbyists to be required to publish donations of more than €3,000 in their budget. Donations of more than €12,000 should be declared immediately, according to the report. Lobbying lawyers should not benefit from the professional secrecy rules and should disclose all clients that are registered with the transparency register, the MEPs argue. Lastly, they call for the Council, including its preparatory bodies, to participate in the transparency register, as proposed by the Commission. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)