EU lobbying transparency a step closer but still some way to go - Alter-EU

Just weeks before the European Commission will launch its long-awaited register of lobbyists, the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee has voted in favour of a shared mandatory registration system for lobbyists at the Parliament, Council and Commission. ALTER-EU welcomes the Parliament's calls for full financial disclosure and for names of lobbyists to be included in the register.A

The European Parliament's vote on the own-initiative report, "on the development of the framework for activities of interest representatives (lobbyists) in the European institutions" (2007/2115(INI)), is a clear signal to the European Commission to come up with a mandatory and efficient register.
 
At the same time, ALTER-EU is convinced that there are still some crucial points which need to be improved:
- Full financial disclosure needs clear criteria, but no bandwidths for the disclosure of financial details have been set;
- The report fails to commit to a clear timeline to ensure that new rules for lobbyists are in place before the European elections in 2009.
 
Paul de Clerck of Friends of the Earth Europe, a member of the ALTER-EU steering committee says: "The European Parliament today showed that a clear majority is for significantly improving transparency around lobbying. The plenary vote in May will be the moment of truth for the Parliament. We hope that MEPs will close the remaining loopholes by calling for a clear timeline and inserting meaningful ranges and thresholds for financial disclosure."

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) is a coalition of over 140 civil society groups, trade unions, academics and public affairs firms concerned with the increasing influence exerted by corporate lobbyists on the political agenda in Europe.