European Parliament votes to clean up its act on lobbying
Publication date:
jeudi, January 31, 2019
Press release issued by:
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU)
Campaign:
TAKE ACTION: Ask your MEP to vote for lobby transparency rule
This Thursday, Members of the European Parliament are due to vote on a rule that, if adopted, would for the first time create a binding obligation for MEPs writing reports and chairing committtees to disclose their lobby meetings.
The lobbying world of Brussels continues increasing. There are now more than 7,000 lobbyists with European Parliament accreditation. That means, almost 10 lobbyists per MEP.
It is no surprise then that at several occasions in the past four years MEPs complained they were the target of extreme lobbying pressure.
'Hide-and-seek' must end - parliament should be transparent on lobbying
Update: In December the European Parliament's constitutional affairs committee approved the rules with a majority of 11-10. This was a tight victory but a victory nonetheless.
LSI - Episode 7 - Our man in Brussels
Why is it that the US has been able to legally sanction political fixer Paul Manafort for failure to disclose details of his lobbying for the Kremlin-backed Ukrainian Viktor Yanukovych government, while in the European Union – where he also operated a multi-million euro lobbying operation for the same regime – there are no consequences whatsoever?
The contrast with the US brings into sharp focus the lack of legally binding power and enforcement in the EU's lobbying register.
Corporate capture in Europe - When big business dominates policy-making and threatens our rights
"Corporate capture in Europe" examines the extreme and undue influence of big business on European Union (EU) and member state decision-making processes.
LSI - Episode 6 - How to get away with bad data
What happens if in the Transparency Register a company declares a much lower budget than it actually spends on lobbying? It will be punished for mis-leading...right?