The Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament’s groups confirmed on Thursday 27 September its team’s plan to pursue talks to obtain a strengthening of the transparency register on relations with lobbyists (see EUROPE 12053, 12040).
The European Parliament aims to reach agreement on a ten-point list to boost the transparency of parliamentary meetings with representatives of interests (to be implemented after the May elections).
The next interinstitutional political meeting, where the European Parliament’s position will be presented, is expected to take place during the second October plenary (21-24 October).
The main European Parliament negotiators, Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France) and Danuta Hübner (EPP, Poland), have informed the Conference of Presidents that the idea of suspending negotiations did not come from them, but from the European Commission after the 18 July meeting of the College of Commissioners. A source explains that the European Parliament is clearly opposed to the suspension, which would be an enormous loss for the culture of transparency in the institutions. The Council has reportedly also expressed its disappointment with the Commission’s stance.
After two political meetings, the College of Commissioners gave a mandate on 18 July to first vice-president Frans Timmermans, the chief negotiator, to suspend the negotiations if the European Parliament and Council do not follow the Commission’s approach on the principle of ‘conditionality' (the possibility of only meeting with lobbyists who are registered). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)