(13/11/08) Groenen worden uitgesloten van de lobby-werkgroep

• 2008-11-13

De Commissie stelde in 2006 reeds voor een door haar beheerd vrijwillig registratiesysteem in te stellen, dat lobbyisten sterk aanmoedigt om zich te laten registreren. In mei 2008 keurde het Europese Parlement een resolutie goed die vroeg voor de oprichting van een interinstitutionele werkgroep om na te gaan wat de impact is van dit register en de gedragscode voor lobbyisten. De Conferentie van Presidenten - verantwoordelijk voor de dagelijkse werking van het Parlement, de administratie en de agenda - besliste vandaag om de samenstelling van die werkgroep te beperken tot de drie grootste fracties.

De wetgevende teksten kunnen hier nagelezen worden.

PERSBERICHT van de Groenen/EVA

Lobbying working group

Greens protest as small groups are scandalously shut out

On 8 May, the European parliament resolved (1) to set up an inter-institutional working group (2) "without delay" to look at the implications of drawing up a common register and a code of conduct for lobbyists. Today the European Parliament Conference of Presidents voted to restrict the institution's participation to its three largest political groups.

Monica Frassoni , Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group, concludes that this means there will be no common register or code of conduct in place before European elections. She commented:

"It is scandalous that the European Parliament will only allow representatives (3) of its three largest groups to participate in the joint working group on lobbying , when its very aim is to increase transparency and accountability . Parliament cannot be considered serious in its intention to put the spotlight on lobbying and transparency while it shuts whole groups out of negotiations.

We strongly protest this apparently deliberate political move to keep out the groups that have the best track record on transparency and clear regulation, such as t he Greens . This is blatant evidence that in reality the dominant and most lobbied political groups simply do not have the political will to establish a common register or code of conduct for all lobbyists to EU institutions before the European elections in June next year.

This contradicts the very explicit mandate given by plenary last May, which went much further than the draftsman Ingo Friedrichwanted. He will now be in the negotiating teamand we will keep close watch on what they do in the coming months. "

Notes:

(1) Resolution of the Parliament, of 8 May 2008, on the development of a framework for the activities of interest representatives (lobbyists) in the EU institution T6-0197/2008

(2) Joint working group of Council representatives, Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament, appointed by the Conference of Presidents

(3) EP nominees for the working group: Ingo Friedrich (EPP), Joe Leinen (SP) and Diana Wallis (ALDE)