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NGOs concerned by U-turn on European Transparency Initiative

Public interest organisations united in the EU Civil Society Contact Group urged the Commission to apply high standards of transparency for a strong and meaningful register of interest representation in Brussels. "Alarming evidence that the EU is going for a U-turn on the European Transparency Initiative is worrying NGOs, which are reluctant to associate to a register that obscures more than it reveals," said Fintan Farrell, chair of the EU Civil Society Contact Group.

In letters to Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström and Secretary General Catherine Day, the Civil Society Contact Group expressed its concern and said it would question the enlistment of its members on a register that hides the names of lobbyists and avoids giving precise information about the financing of lobbying activities.

"We believe that more scrutiny and oversight of EU lobbying is in the public interest, we are therefore committed ourselves and expect representatives of private interests to meet the same standards" added Farrell.

Since the European Commission announced the European Transparency Initiative, the Civil Society Contact Group and its members have contributed to the debate and consultations undertaken by the European Commission. "In our understanding, the European Transparency Initiative was meant to contribute to 'ensure that the Union is open to public scrutiny and accountable for its work'. Not including names of lobbyists and meaningful financial information in the register would be contrary to this objective and therefore would simply fail to provide confidence in the EU institutions," ended Farrell.

NGOs are convinced that with the register, presently planned by the Commission, people would still not have any real indication of who exactly is working to influence EU decision-making, let alone on whose behalf lobbying of EU legislators is taking place. NGOs observe that this tactic will reduce the usefulness of the register and undermine its credibility and the one of the European Commission as a whole.

Find the letter sent today to Barroso here.
For more information, please contact Regula Heggli + 32 (0)2 511 17 11 or Fintan Farrell + 32 (0)474 797 934.

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