ALTER-EU joined by 18 NGOs to demand improvements to EU Transparency Register
Publication date:
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Download full document as pdf:
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Campaign:
Full lobby transparency now!
Whether it is TTIP, austerity, internet data privacy, banking, climate change, or almost any other issue, lobbyists are working hard in Brussels and in our capital cities to influence policies and laws. And too many of these lobbyists are working for corporate interests, rather than the public interest.
We at ALTER-EU think it should be compulsory for all lobbyists to sign-up to a high-quality, legally-binding, lobby register. Improved lobby transparency will help us to know exactly who these lobbyists are, who they work for, how much they spend, and what laws and initiatives they are working on. If they outnumber public interests, lobby transparency will help us expose that, and bring more balance into the debate. If lobbyists are acting unethically or unscrupulously, lobby transparency can help us to reveal that too.
And if we demand that the EU institutions become more transparent, we should also make similar calls on our national governments too.
ALTER-EU demands
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EU legislation for a high-quality, legally-binding lobby register by the end of 2017
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Greater interest in, and proposals for, new high-quality lobby registers in EU member states. Read more about lobby transparency in the member states.
Transparency won't solve all problems to do with lobbying but it should force our decision-makers to listen to a greater number of voices and it will ensure that we can hold them to account if they don't.
We are working with our member groups and partners across Europe on this campaign. Please join us and get involved. You can organise a public debate or film screening; write to your MPs and MEPs; publish an article; carry out research and more...
To find out more and to get active, contact coordinator@alter-eu.org and follow us on Twitter: @ALTEREU #lobbytransparency
Read more about the detail of the campaign by checking out our frequently asked questions and our proposals for lobby register reform
Read more about our Full lobby transparency now! campaign in different EU member states
The new lobbying rules: the good, the bad and the unclear… so far
On 15 December 2020, after six years of negotiations, the Parliament, the Council and the Commission reached a final political agreement to lobbying transparency. The official Inter-Institutional agreement (IIA) has now been published and ALTER-EU analyzed it in depth.
Mandatory EU lobby transparency sunken by EU Institutions
Publication date:
Friday, April 5, 2019
Press release issued by:
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU)
Campaign:
European Parliament votes to clean up its act on lobbying
Publication date:
Thursday, 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.
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?
Our demands for the Inter-institutional negotiations on the EU Transparency Register
Publication date:
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Download full document as pdf:
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Campaign:
LSI - Episode 5 - Law and disorder
The European Commission needs to enforce a strict incentives-based regime that will encourage more lobbying law firms to enroll in the EU’s transparency register.
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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.
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?
LSI - Episode 5 - Law and disorder
The European Commission needs to enforce a strict incentives-based regime that will encourage more lobbying law firms to enroll in the EU’s transparency register.
LSI - Episode 4 - The iceberg
Extending the “no registration, no meeting” rule from the Commission elite to lower-level officials would at once improve lobby transparency and protect civil servants. But the Commission has been actively avoiding to address this.
LSI - Episode 3 - Defining lobbying
The Commission wants to redefine lobbying during the upcoming revision of the EU lobby transparency register so that it only relates to direct contacts with EU decision-makers. But such a change of approach would allow certain lobbyists to operate under the radar, away from public scrutiny.
LSI - Episode 2 - The Council of the EU
The Council of the European Union is one of the most important institutions involved in the EU’s decision-making process. But despite a ruling by the highest EU court and increased demands from civil society, they refuse to sign up to the transparency register.
LSI - Episode 1 - Corporate capture
Two years after Dieselgate put the issue of corporate capture into the limelight, EU institutions have the perfect opportunity to get tough on lobbying, through a comprehensive reform of the EU lobby transparency.
