EU Transparency Register: over 5,000 interest groups sign up
Over 5,000 interest groups have registered with the European Parliament or European Commission for the EU Transparency Register, in its first year.
The European Parliament has recently tightened up and simplified its accreditation procedures for interest representatives, which is now directly accessible via the Transparency Register website.
European Parliament Vice President Rainer Wieland, with specific responsibility for transparency issues stated: "As an information tool, the more people use and feed into this register, the more efficient it will become. I would therefore like to encourage all engaged in the representation of interests on the EU level to sign up to this "transparency pact" and encourage all Members of this House to refer to it for up-to-date information."
The Council is considering whether to join Parliament and Commission. It says it is currently "observing" the operations of the register, with a view to a future commitment to join the two other EU institutions in this joint register.
Parliament says it hopes that they will become a full member as soon as possible.
Registration in the Transparency Register is voluntary. Nevertheless, it is mandatory to register to get access to the European Parliament. Individuals who have completed the registration process as set out on the Transparency Register's website may be granted access rights to the European Parliament for up to 12 months.
A public consultation on the operation of the register is available until the end of August on the Commission's "Your Voice in Europe" website.