Brussels, 17/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - Of the major think tanks in Brussels, only Hans Martens and the European Policy Centre (EPC) have signed up to the voluntary online register of lobbyists opened on 23 June 2008 (see EUROPE 9688), said European Commissioner with responsibility for Administrative Affairs and Anti-Fraud Siim Kallas on Friday 17 April. Delivering a speech, appropriately at the EPC, on transparency within the Community institutions, Kallas revealed that over 1,300 organisations have so far joined the register.
“We explicitly and deliberately included think tanks in the target group,” he said, adding, “So, think tanks were on our radar screen from the beginning. But none of them reacted during the consultations”. He set out the reasons why he felt think tanks should register: - for example, Friends of Europe (which, along with an oil company, is co-organising an international summit on investing in Africa's growth and health) would, by registering, give credibility to its claim that it is “an independent think tank for EU policy analysis and debate”; - for most think tanks it is “absolutely crucial” to project an image of independence. (L.C./transl.rt)