EU urged to adopt mandatory register for lobbyists

The EU has been urged to introduce a mandatory register of interests for the thousands of lobbyists in Brussels.

Addressing a seminar in parliament on Tuesday, Jane Mittermaier, of Transparency International, said this was "vitally important" in order to promote openness in the EU institutions.

At present a register does exist for the estimated 3000 lobbyists in Brussels but it is voluntary, meaning lobbyists have the freedom to register their interest or not.

Mittermaier, who heads the organisation's EU office, said, "Why should some lobby groups be able to opt out of the register while others do not?

"There is no reason for this."

She added, "I know of some law firms who do not consider themselves as lobbyists and, therefore, do not register their interests.

"But it is patently clear that they are lobbying for their clients."

The conference, organised to mark "International Right to Know Day", included European ombudsman, Nikiforos Diamandouros, who called on the EU administration to be as "transparent and citizen-friendly as possible."

Speaking at an event he co-organised with Transparency International, he said, "Only if European citizens feel that the EU administration is transparent, accessible and accountable, will they develop the necessary trust and willingness actively to participate in the democratic life of the EU."

More than one third of his inquiries concern complaints about lack of transparency in the EU administration.

Such complaints concern, for example, access to information or documents, the composition of working groups, or the institutions' policy making, he said.

Diamandouros added, "The Lisbon treaty provides for greater transparency in the activities of the EU administration.

"It requires the council to meet in public when it deliberates on draft legislation and contains the citizens' right of access to documents of all EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, including, for the first time, the European council.

"The treaty also requires the EU administration to conduct its work as openly as possible, in order to promote good governance and the participation of civil society. I am committed to informing citizens about their right to know what the EU administration is doing."

The Strasbourg based ombudsman also said he receives an increasing number of complaints that raise ethical concerns.

They range from the question of what gifts EU officials may accept to the issue of "revolving doors" where former commissioners or EU officials move to the private sector thereby running the risk of creating conflicts of interest.

With a view to identifying best practices regarding the fundamental ethical principles that should apply to EU officials, he recently launched a consultation with the national ombudsmen in member states.

Speaking at the same event, Olivier Hoedeman, of Alter-EU, an organisation that campaigns for more transparency in the EU, also called for a "high quality, mandatory" lobby register.

He said, "The commission's weak and voluntary register must be replaced."