Representatives of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union kicked off the interinstitutional negotiations on the European Transparency Register (see EUROPE 12502/29) on Tuesday 16 June.
The European legislator has reiterated the ambition to reach an agreement, possibly by the end of 2020, on a reform of the European Register that involves the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Council. This Register will have to meet citizens’ expectations regarding the transparency of European public life “while taking into account the specific nature”, said the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council in a statement.
Prior to the 2019 European elections, the EU Council was reluctant to require its top leaders to meet only with interest groups listed in the European Register, an obligation already in force for the College of European Commissioners and for MEPs when they are rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs on a particular dossier. The Finnish and Croatian Presidencies of the EU Council took the initiative to ask their (deputy) Ambassadors to respect this rule.
“Our main objective is for the EU Council to join the mechanism”, said Katarina Barley (S&D, Germany). Danuta Hübner (EPP, Poland) urged all parties to approach the negotiations with an “open mind”.
On Tuesday, the negotiating session allowed the parties to reiterate their positions. The next one should be in September. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)