Transparency and Members' financial interests (Annex I of the EP Rules of Procedure)

The rapporteur, Mr Nordmann (ELDR, F), said that a reform of the regulation concerning the matter in question required an absolute majority of 314 votes and for this reason he urged the Members of Parliament not to abstain. He also touched on the problems that had been encountered before being able to arrive at a general form of wording in his report, which was designed to reconcile radically different parliamentary cultures. On behalf of the Liberal Group, Mr Nordmann then took up this idea by adding that there had been a desire to avoid an inquisitorial procedure and to be guided instead by a spirit of transparency and trust. Mr GIL ROBLES GIL DELGADO (EPP, E) gave his full support to the Nordmann and Ford reports, which in their entirety formed a framework regulation and represented the first step in the right direction. Mr METTEN (PSE, NL) wanted to see lobbyists submit an annual report on their activities in the EU institutions before their entry passes were renewed. He also called for greater transparency regarding the financial position of joint parliamentary groups. While supporting the Ford and Nordmann reports Mrs AELVOET (Greens, B) regretted that Parliament was not taking further action, as the 13 Member States had no rules governing the financial interests of Members; a code of conduct should therefore be introduced at European level during the current legislative period. Mr FABRE-AUBRESPY (EDN, F) stressed that Parliament had to keep its independence and that refusing to accept gifts was primarily a matter of ethics.