Government Affairs Blog

Brussels moves step closer to mandatory register of lobbyists

MEPs discussed and voted on a report on tightening the rules for lobbyists in a plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels today.

The compromise reached includes the creation of a central register, to which all those wishing to influence or present their point of view within the European institutions, will eventually have to sign up. This registration process will be accompanied by a code of conduct, with violation resulting in sanctions.

The European Parliament did not support the creation of a so called obligatory "legislative footprint", which would oblige each MEP to add a list of all parties that were consulted or who played an influential part in the drafting of a report. Instead, MEPs propose to publish, on a voluntary basis, a list of those they consulted.

Diana Wallis, the UK Lib Dem MEP who is the European Parliament Vice-President responsible for transparency, said: "Lobbying has an important role in the policy process but there needs to be a more structured and vigorous framework as to disclosure than currently exists."

No doubt the Public Administration Select Committee, currently considering these issues at Westminster, will be looking carefully at what is being proposed in Brussels.