The fight for transparency in the EU must be stepped up

Following a meeting of leaders of European Parliament groups, S&D MEPs made clear that the work to make EU decision making processes more transparent must be stepped up. In particular, the Group stressed that interaction between lobbyists and EU officials and MEPs must be done in an open and transparent way. The Group stressed that the ongoing negotiations between the European Parliament, Commission and Council must not be put on hold.

“Over the last few years we have made significant progress in ensuring the EU decision making process is more transparent. This fight must now be stepped up ahead of the European elections next year. In June, the Parliament endorsed ten measures that should be implemented to deepen the culture of transparency in the house. This includes a proposal for incoming Members to commit to only meet with lobbyists who are registered on the EU’s Transparency Register.

“Ensuring that the public knows who their elected members are meeting and what interests they are speaking to is essential to build trust in the EU decision making process. However, this must also be true for representatives of other EU institutions, such as the European Commission and European Council. We need to ensure that journalists and citizens know which lobby groups or industries are trying to influence EU legislation.

“We are currently in negotiations with the European Commission and Council on these improved transparency measures. These negotiations must not be put on hold, any delay would be a huge loss for the culture of transparency in the EU institutions. This is particularly pressing ahead of the European elections next year.”