Jo Leinen: EU lobbyists who refuse to register will suffer

By Martin Banks - 27th May 2010

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A senior MEP has urged the EU's institutions to "plug gaps" in the European commission's lobbyists' register.

The call, by German Socialist MEP Jo Leinen, comes in the wake of a recent commission report that shows only 2700 lobby groups have so far signed up to its voluntary register.

There are an estimated 10,000 lobby groups in Brussels and many argue that a mandatory register is needed in the interests of openness and transparency.

The commission said it had relaunched talks aimed at establishing a joint register between the commission and parliament.

Leinen, the S&D member of an inter-institutional working group on registering lobbyists, said, "Law firms, think tanks and a number of companies and organisations are still missing from the common register."

Speaking after the group's first session with EU commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, Leinen said, "In the coming months, parliament and the commission will work towards filling these gaps in the register."

He warned, "Lobbyists who refuse to register will suffer in their contacts with EU institutions."

The working group, "lobby register", decided to adopt the main guidelines for management of the register in June.

It was also agreed to impose sanctions when lobbyists breach the rules laid down in a code of conduct.

Leinen, "Unlike the USA, most European countries do not have a tradition of lobby registers.

"This project is therefore a model for better regulation of lobbyists not only in Brussels but also in the capitals of the member states."

Liberal MEP Diana Wallis, who also sits on the working group, said she hoped progress could be made on establishing a common register.

She said, "It is plainly in the interests of our citizens that we work together to make this system as transparent as possible and that we chart lobbyists that try to influence EU policy decisions at every stage in the process."