Committee chairmen, rapporteurs or shadow rapporteurs will have to publish their meetings with lobbyists, according to the update of the European Parliament's rules of procedure adopted on Thursday 6 December in the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs.
These new rules are contained in the report by Richard Corbett (S&D, UK), adopted unanimously in committee and to be voted on by the European Parliament in January 2019 in Strasbourg. If approved, the rules will apply from February 2019.
Key actors in the legislative process (rapporteurs, shadow rapporteurs and committee chairpersons) should publish online all planned meetings with interest representatives falling within the scope of the transparency register.
They will also have to publish information related to their use of the overhead allowance. The new rules stipulate that Members must refrain from any inappropriate behaviour, offensive language and any type of moral or sexual harassment. A serious violation of these rules could result in sanctions.
European political foundations and parties. MEPs have defined the conditions under which a group of at least 50 citizens can require the European Parliament to ask the Authority for European Political Parties and European Political Foundations to verify whether a given European political party (or foundation) fulfils the obligations of the Treaty. The new rules were drafted by a working group comprising representatives of all European Parliament political groups. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)