Werkgroep lobbyisten zet beraadslagingen voort (en)

The European Parliament and European Commission joint Working Party on lobbyists met on Thursday 12 November to resume discussions on a common register and code of conduct for interest representatives.

The group, as reconstituted after the European elections, is chaired by Diana Wallis i MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament with responsibility for transparency, and is further composed of MEPs Isabelle Durant, Vice-President, Jo Leinen i, Chair of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and Carlo Casini, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, as well as Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas i.

At Thursday's meeting, Vice-President Kallas presented a review of the first year of operation of the Commission's system of registration of lobbyists and the changes which the Commission, in light of its review, proposes to implement in the system's operation.

Members of Parliament's delegation to the Working Party broadly endorsed these changes as steps in the right direction, while reiterating Parliament's approach towards a common register, as set out in its resolution on lobbying of 8 May 2008 (see link below), which, inter alia, calls for a mandatory register of lobbyists to be established on an inter-institutional basis with the participation of Parliament, Commission and Council.

Diana Wallis MEP, Coordinator of Parliament's delegation, commented: "Good progress was achieved in our working party during the last parliamentary term. Once the new Commission is in place, we look forward to resuming negotiations as early as possible in the New Year, with a view to achieving improved transparency of the lawmaking process at EU level. We hope that Council will also shoulder its responsibilities in this regard and actively take part in the future work of the inter-institutional group".