Fondation EurActiv organised for Friday 3 December a lunchtime Stakeholder Workshop on the Transparency Register that will be launched next year.

Programme:

The European Transparency Initiative has correctly highlighted the need to strengthen the integrity and independence of the EU institutions while improving ethical standards in lobbying practice.

However, much work still needs to be done to improve the transparency of EU policymaking. A new EU Transparency Register is likely to be launched by the Commission and the Parliament at a public conference next year.

• How successful have the existing lobby registers been? How informative are the data collected and published in the existing registers? What additional or different information will the joint register collect and publish?
• Which data should be required from different actors such as corporate lobbyists, industry associations and consultancies? Where do think tanks and law firms fit in? Is there a case for including regional and national representations?
• Who should monitor lobbying practice, and what instruments and parameters should they use? How can a joint register for all interest representatives help develop a professional ethos?
• What hope is there for getting the joint register to involve the Council as well?

Keynote contributors:

• Maroš ŠEFČOVIČ, Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration;
• Silvana KOCH-MEHRIN, Vice-President of the European Parliament;

Other contributors included:

• Erik WESSELIUS, Corporate Europe Observatory;
• José LALLOUM, Chairman, European Public Affairs Consultancies’ Association (EPACA);
• Lyn TRYTSMAN-GRAY, President, Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP).

Moderator: Christophe LECLERCQ, Founder and Publisher, EurActiv

Chair: Rick ZEDNÍK, CEO, EurActiv