Transparantie-initiatief gaat méér documenten Europese Commissie openbaar maken (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has adopted today (9 November) a controversial "transparency initiative."

The plan was postponed for several weeks, due to concerns among some of the commissioners about its suggestions.

The draft paper, seen by EUobserver, is proposing better access to a wider range of documents, including letters sent to commissioners and lists of EU fund recipients.

The initiative, proposed by a group of commissioners led by vice-president Siim Kallas i, requires the EU executive to take a number of immediate steps, such as to "improve the coverage of the existing commission register of documents."

The move should lead to commission's documents, including mail to both the EU executive as such and its individual members, being accessable for public scrutiny through a better-developed database.

In view of publishing EU fund recipients, the commission will "create a central web portal, acting as a single entry point, which will establish links to information on end beneficiaries of funds" which are managed by directorates-general.

The commission's portal should then be interconnected with the websites of member states and provide information about EU beneficiaries, controlled at national level.

Mr Kallas told EUobserver the common database could start working within the next six months.

Disclosure of farm subsidy recipients in the countries that have already published the data showed clearly that the biggest part of EU aid goes to large enterprises.

The transparency initiative also refers to EU's anti-fraud body - OLAF - which should "give enhanced visibility to accurate information about fraud cases."

No immediate measures on lobbying

However, the new rules on lobbying, eagerly awaited by Brussels NGOs and consultant groups do not feature on the shortlist of immediate actions recommended by the initiative.

Instead, the paper suggests the commission will publish a green paper in early 2006 in which it will "launch a debate on lobbying."

Among the options to be considered for improving transparency in this area is a "compulsory registration of interest groups represented in consultative bodies and/or compulsory registration for all lobbyists."

This requirement should also cover public affairs practitioners, trade unions and NGOs.

Another option suggested is to have all the consultative bodies listed in a "voluntary or compulsory register to adhere to a common code of conduct," proposed by either the commission or the stakeholders themselves.