Strengere regels voor lobbyisten in Brussel (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Siim Kallas i, the EU anti-fraud commissioner, has announced a wide-ranging "transparency initiative" aiming at a tighter regulation of lobbyists and non-governmental organisations lobbying in Brussels.

In a landmark speech at The European Foundation for Management at Nottingham Business School on Thursday (3 March), Mr Kallas announced a showdown with the traditional secrecy and fraud which has long plagued the European institutions.

"Transparency is needed to ensure a proper functioning of the decision making process", the Commissioner said.

"Lack of accountability results in a furious public opinion which feels deceived, and finally rejects the European project altogether ... We can not let that happen", he added.

"`Brussels is regarded a far away rainy place, as an inaccessible political `black box' where all sorts of obscure measures are taken. On the other hand `Brussels' itself wants to do good for people but often it feels misunderstood", the Commissioner said.

Lobbyist register to be improved

The Commissioner first plans to improve the current registry of lobbyist and NGO activities in Brussels.

The 15,000 lobbyists established in Brussels and the 2,600 interest groups with a permanent office in the capital of Europe will be better monitored, he announced.

"Lobbying activities are estimated to produce 60 to 90 million euro in annual revenues. But transparency is lacking", said Mr Kallas.

He criticised the fact that registers provided by lobbyist organisations in the EU are "voluntary and incomprehensive" and do not provide much information on the specific interests represented or how they are financed.

"Some of the NGO's receiving funds from the Commission describe on their website one of their main tasks as: `lobbying the Commission'", he pointed out: "The Commission is paying lobbies, in order to be lobbied".

Members of the European Parliament are obliged to provide a declaration of financial interests, but the information is "very sketchy", Mr Kallas said. Some do not fill out the above mentioned declaration. "Here, there is room for improvement".

Funding in the open

Data regarding recipients of agriculture and rural development should also be made publicly available under the new plan.

In Estonia, the home country of the Commissioner, the data has been published on the webpage of the Agricultural Registers and Information Board since July 2000. In Denmark a similar webpage has been in operation since June 2004.

"I think these data must be made available and accessible in all Member States of the European Union", Mr Kallas said.

He also urged whistleblowers to `tip-off' anti-fraud authorities.

"At the moment there is a free-phone line in all EU languages but it has only been used 32 times over a one year period. Perhaps it is not yet sufficiently known", he suggested.

Good news for democracy

The `European Transparency Initiative' would be submitted in the form of a White Paper during spring and a Round Table Conference will be organised involving all relevant stakeholders to exchange views and put forward concrete proposals.

Mr Kallas said he would work in close co-operation with the British presidency of the EU in the second half of the year to produce legislation regarding specific action. The details would also be dicussed with the European Parliament this autumn.

"This is good news for democracy in Europe", said Erik Wesselius of the lobbying watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory.

"Existing EU rules on lobbying are absurdly weak and totally insufficient to address the problematic aspects of lobbying at the EU level. With the European Transparency Initiative there is a real chance for positive change."