ALTER-EU The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation

Coalition

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) is a coalition of almost 200 public interest groups, trade unions, academics and public affairs firms concerned with the increasing influence exerted by corporate lobbyists on the political agenda in Europe, the resulting loss of democracy in EU decision-making and the postponement, weakening, or blockage even, of urgently needed progress on social, environmental and consumer-protection reforms.

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Governance

Since its launch on 19 July 2005, ALTER-EU has been coordinated by a Steering Committee. Currently the Steering Committee has the following members:

• Paul de Clerck (Friends of the Earth Europe);
• William Dinan (Strathclyde University & Spinwatch);
• Marc Gruber (European Federation of Journalists);
• Helen Darbishire (Access Info Europe);
• Timo Lange (LobbyControl);
• Katrina Perehudoff (Health Action International Europe);
• Jorgo Riss (Greenpeace European Unit);
• Erik Wesselius (Corporate Europe Observatory).

Financing

Founded six years ago, ALTER-EU is still a young and informal coalition. Tasks are shared by the members of the Steering Committee, and general secretarial and outreach work is done by the coalition coordinator, Koen Roovers. ALTER-EU activities are financed by the groups represented in the Steering Committee. ALTER-EU is strongly in favour of and committed to financial transparency around lobbying and member groups are expected to disclose such information.

Examples of the ’unilateral transparency’ practiced by ALTER-EU groups are available on the websites of

• Corporate Europe Observatory,
• Friends of the Earth Europe,
• LobbyControl,
• Greenpeace European Unit and
• Spinwatch.

Demands

ALTER-EU has been campaigning for the following demands to be set as the minimum requirements for lobby transparency and ethics regulation:

• EU lobbying disclosure legislation;
• enforceable ethics rules for lobbyists (for instance prohibiting employment of officials or their relatives for lobbying purposes);
• an improved code of conduct for European Commission officials.

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Campaign strategy

ALTER-EU has led the debate in Brussels and in Europe on the European Transparency Initiative and the need for lobby disclosure and ethics regulation.

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