Join us for a debate with Vice-President Frans Timmermans, Sylvie Guillaume MEP and Dennis de Jong MEP, but pre-registration essential!
Thursday 23 April, 9.30am, European Parliament
Other speakers include: Inga Reine from Permanent Representation of Latvia to the EU, Aidan O'Sullivan from European Ombudsman's office, Carl Dolan + Vid Doria from Transparency International, Olivier Hoedeman + Pam Bartlett Quintanilla from ALTER-EU, Jennifer Baker from Vieuws.eu
Background: As the European Commission prepares to launch its proposal for negotiations on a new agreement with the Parliament and Council to improve the EU lobby transparency register, this event will focus on how we can make lobbying in Brussels fully transparent.
The European Parliament, alongside transparency advocates such as ALTER-EU, has consistently demanded that the current EU lobby register be made legally-binding on all lobbyists. Now, since coming to office, Commission President Juncker and Vice President Timmermans have also made strong, public commitments to improve the lobby register, including to make it ‘mandatory’ for all EU lobbyists. But big questions remain about whether their plans will deliver the step change in transparency that is really required. How can we ensure that the lobby register is a de facto requirement for all active EU lobbyists? Is it best to focus on deepening EU lobby transparency or broadening it to include new institutions like the Council? And how can we make sure that the register is a truly accurate reflection of the real lobbying that goes on? These are just some of the questions that will be answered at this event which will feature senior representatives from all three EU institutions; the debate will also form the launch of ALTER-EU’s brand new campaign to demand full lobby transparency in Brusselsand across the member states.
Translation into French will be provided.
To register email info@alter-eu.org