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EU Parliament votes in favor of mandatory register of lobbyists

The Associated Press

BRUSSELS, Belgium

The European Parliament voted on Thursday in favor of establishing a mandatory register of lobbyists seeking to influence EU legislation.

The EU assembly wants a common binding list valid for all EU institutions, including the European Commission, which drafts EU laws, and the Council of EU Ministers, which represents EU governments in Brussels.

But Thursday's vote _ 547-24, with 59 abstentions _ will only do that for parliament, and it can go ahead and impose a compulsory register for lobbyists there, if the other European institutions do not agree to participate.

EU lawmakers are facing increased pressure from lobbyists seeking their say in drafting EU laws on issues ranging from blacklisting bad chemicals to setting carbon dioxide emission caps _ major legislation with impact going beyond the EU's 490 million inhabitants.

"Most of the amendments on REACH were actually drafted by lobbyists," said Monica Frassoni, co-leader of the Greens in the parliament, referring to far-reaching rules governing the multibillion-euro chemicals industry. "There is a tendency to underrate the effectiveness of the lobbyists' work," she said.

The EU legislature already has a voluntary register.

The European Commission will launch its own voluntary list and a binding code of conduct for lobbyists June 23, said Siim Kallas, vice president of the EU executive. Interest groups will be asked to state whom they work for and how much clients pay them to put their views to officials in the 27-nation EU.

"There is now very solid common ground for the commission and parliament to develop a shared register," Kallas said.

A working group including representatives of the three EU institutions will strive to establish a common list, which the parliament wants to be operational by the next European elections in 2009. But Ingo Friedrich, a member of Germany's conservative CSU party who was responsible for steering the proposals through the assembly, acknowledged that EU governments have so far not shown serious interest in a common register.

In a report overwhelmingly backed by lawmakers from all major political parties, the parliament demanded a full financial disclosure by lobbyists and consultants, including their turnover and costs associated with EU lobbying. But it did not demand that lobbying found to be unethical to be made public, as demanded by some parliamentarians.

Critics say the estimated 15,000 lobbyists and 2,500 interest organizations in Brussels hold too much sway in drafting EU legislature and more transparency is needed.

Brussels has become a growing hub for public affairs consultancies that work for individual companies and industry groups, corporate lobbyists, non-governmental organizations, charities and think-tanks, rivaling those in Washington.

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