A first step towards EU lobbyism transparency?
Transparency International (TI) welcomes the establishment of the European Commission lobbyists' register, initiated by the Commission Vice-President, Siim Kallas, but urges the Commission to think ahead, and to use the lessons learned from its register for the establishment of a mandatory inter-institutional register in 2009, as called for by the European Parliament in April 2008.
The European Commission lobbyist’s register will be launched today, 23 June 2008. TI stresses that the voluntary Commission register should only be seen as a first step and an interim solution, and supports the Parliament’s call for developing it as a strong, joint register for Council, Parliament and Commission, building upon the experience and the infrastructure of the European Commission register.
"More needs to be done if the public is to understand by whom and how the legislative procedure of the EU is influenced. The remaining deficiencies of the Commission register should be remedied to guarantee real transparency and to ensure the establishment of a strong and mandatory lobbyist register covering all three institutions, the Commission, Parliament and Council", said Jana Mittermaier, Head of the TI Brussels Office.
See full Press Release.
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