Brussels, 21/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 21 March, the Commission adopted a communication on the implementation of the actions described in the Green Paper on improving transparency within the institutions of the EU. It confirms its hope of opening, “in Spring 2008”, an optional register of 15,000 representatives of European interests working in Brussels, and of helping to set up a “common code of conduct” for lobbyists and pressure groups (EUROPE 9385). Around March 2009, the next Commission will evaluate the success of these instruments and, if needs be, bring in (by legislating) an obligatory registration and decoration system for all pressure groups active in the Belgian capital.
Commissioner Siim Kallas (Administration) explains that the Commission's objective was not to hand over an “open Sesame”, allowing access to confidential data on decision-making procedures, but to guarantee the legitimacy of the activities of the pressure groups. In this way, the Commission is seeking to provide “the most complete possible image” of these activities. Lobbyists and pressure groups can, if they wish, add their names to a register and would then be automatically informed of consultations being held in their areas of interest. In order to join this register, groups must declare information on their main clients and/or sources of income. The Commission is presenting specific criteria for those registering: - consultancies and lawyers will have to declare all turnover resulting from lobbying activities and the relative proportion contributed by each client to this turnover; - “internal representatives” and professional groupings must provide an estimation of costs linked to direct lobbying activities at the European institutions; - NGOs and reflection groups will be obliged to divulge their total budget and its division between the main sources of funding. Bureaus representing the regions of the member states will not be bound by these rules, because they are not considered lobbyists.
The Commission intends to take its inspiration from the codes of conduct developed by certain players in the world of lobbying and, in particular, the one in force at the European Parliament, to draft a common code of conduct, to which all representatives of interests must subscribe. Discussions on this code will start “before summer 2007”, according to Mr Kallas. The inclusion of lobbyists in the new register will be dependent on their subscription to this code. As for penalties, the Commission may remove lobbyists from the register if they provide false information or violate the code of conduct. By force of circumstances, groups which lose their credibility will be denied contacts within the institutions. (lc)