European Parliament/European Commission Agreement: transparency register for organisations and self-employed individuals engaged in EU policy-making and policy implementation

The Committee on Constitutional Affairs adopted the report drafted by Carlo CASINI (EPP, IT) approving the conclusion of an interinstitutional agreement between the European Parliament and the Commission on a common Transparency Register.

The committee regards the agreement as an important first step towards greater transparency and intends to propose in due course that standards be raised so as to ensure the consistent integrity of the public administration of the Union and the strengthening of its institutional rules.

Members are of the opinion that the agreement will provide a strong incentive for registration since it will render it impossible for anyone to procure a badge giving access to Parliament without first registering. They repeat, however, their call for the mandatory registration of all lobbyists on the Transparency Register and call for the necessary steps to be taken in the framework of the forthcoming review process in order to prepare for a transition to mandatory registration.

Parliament retains its unfettered right to decide who should be permitted to access its premises.

Members welcome, in particular, the following aspects contained in the agreement:

• the change of the name of the register to ‘the Transparency Register’;
• the scope of the register, which covers all the relevant actors except for, inter alia, the social partners as participants in the social dialogue, churches, political parties and local, regional and municipal authorities (including representations forming part of their administrations);
• the fact that the register introduces transparency for a wide range of actors in contact with the EU institutions, and in particular has separate sections covering representatives of special interests, civil society representatives and representatives of public authorities, thereby drawing a distinction between the differing roles played by lobbyists and those dealing with the EU institutions in an official capacity;
• the request for relevant financial information;
• binding measures in the event of failure to comply with the code of conduct annexed to the agreement.
• Its Bureau is requested to devise a system whereby all lobbyists who fall within the scope of the register and who have obtained a meeting with a relevant Member about a specific legislative dossier are recorded as having done so in the explanatory memorandum to the report or recommendation relating to the relevant draft legislative act.

Lastly, regretting that the Council has not yet become a party to the agreement, Members call on the Council to join the common register as soon as possible.