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Deviance

Transparency International and the major associations representing EU public affairs professionals (SEAP), consultancies (EPACA) and lawyers (CCBE) have joined together to call on the EU Institutions to introduce a mandatory EU Lobby Register. The letter is also supported by umbrella groups such as the European Youth Forum and Social Platform as well as more than 67,000 citizens from across Europe that signed an online petition.

As the new Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) is reviewing the functioning of the EU Transparency Register, the letter calls for strong reform by introducing mandatory rules for all lobbyists and also demands greater transparency around who EU officials and politicians meet with. The signatories recommend all EU institutions to be covered by the mandatory lobby register, including the Council. More specifically, the letter aims at encouraging the EU institutions and the IIA to make the register mandatory by: 

  • Putting in place an effective system to motivate all organisations influencing EU decision-making to sign up to the EU Transparency Register. Unregistered lobby organisations should, for example, no longer be able to meet officials, organise events, and participate in hearings or expert groups.
  • Ensuring that the new Transparency Register covers all EU institutions involved in the political decision- making process: this means a new effort is required to include the Council. Politicians and high-ranking civil servants from these institutions should no longer meet with unregistered lobbyists and should publish their meetings online.
  • Designing a robust system with better legal definitions, monitoring procedures and an enforcement mechanism with sanctions in the form of withdrawal of rights encouraging registrants to provide accurate information. Organisations that do not comply with the rules should be sanctioned subject to due process, including an independent body to rule on alleged violations and an appeal procedure.

The joint letter “Lobbyists for Transparent Lobbying” can be read online here.