EP-Intergroup on Transparency, Integrity, corruption and organised crime: European Institutions need to take immediate action to implement the recommendations of Transparency International in its report on lobbying in Europe.
The newly established Intergroup of the European Parliament on Transparency (ITCO) welcomes the report issued today by Transparency International on ´lobbying in Europe`. Co-chair Dennis de Jong (GUE/NGL): The report of TI shows that at the moment it is not possible for the public to know which lobbyists have contributed to EU-legislation. So far, the European institutions refused to introduce a ´legislative footprint´, i.e. a survey of lobby contacts that have been influential during the drafting of legislative proposals. I urge both the European Commission and the European Parliament to take steps immediately, so that the citizens are fully informed with respect to the influence of lobbyists on legislative proposals by the Commission and on legislative reports of the EP.´
ITCO-Bureau Member Benedek Javor (Greens) adds: ´I fully agree with TI that only a mandatory transparency register will work. At the moment, we only have a voluntary register without proper oversight mechanisms. The idea of the Commission to conclude a new inter-institutional agreement with regard to the transparency register may sound positive, but TI rightly points out that we need formal legislation in order to set up a mandatory register. An inter-institutional agreement does not suffice in this respect´.
Co-Chair Elly Schlein (S&D) emphasises: ´Whereas the situation in the EU-institutions needs to be improved, the situation in Member States is often even worse. Only a few Member States have a better score than the European institutions. European co-operation with regard to transparency, integrity and equality of access needs to be stepped up, so that everywhere in the European Union democracy is strengthened´.
ITCO-Bureau Member Monica Macovei (EPP): ´Corruption and lack of transparency go hand in hand. Conflicts of interest are a source of corruption and undermine people’s trust. Measures should be taken to prevent conflicts of interests and to address them, whenever they may occur. That holds not only for the EU-institutions themselves, but also for Member States. And definitely, the transparency register should be mandatory´.
Transparency International’s report can be found here.
15 April 2015