Lobbyist register in Brussels can provide lessons for UK
by Diana Wallis
25 October 2011
Joint register for the European Parliament and European Commission can provide best-practice lessons for Britain following the Liam Fox resignation
The last thing we want people to say when everything goes wrong is: "I told you so". And yet, we all find ourselves saying it from time to time. In the case of Liam Fox and his dealings with his friend Adam Werritty, I would not only like to say it - but also go further and ask one question: "Why did nobody see this coming?" Of course, this kind of reaction is not very helpful - but I do feel the need to vent some frustration for the very simple reason that by sharing best-practice and common experiences - as has been the very principle in Europe - this situation might have been avoided.
As vice-president of the European Parliament with specific responsibility for transparency, I have for some time been involved in negotiations with the European Commission to put in place a transparent system of dealing with the growing number of lobbyists in Brussels. In June, we saw the successful culmination of these negotiations with the launch of our joint lobby register called the "transparency register". Part of the reason that the register took a while to negotiate was that everyone has a different take on who is a lobbyist and who is not. Is there a world of difference between a representative of a non-governmental organisation fighting for a better environment and a commercial lobbyist? How about the Church representatives? And what about regional representatives? The result of this long and heated debate was a neat categorisation that could, in the end, satisfy everybody - with a clear division between commercial and non-commercial interests.
If it is thanks to Liberal Democrat pressure that the coalition agreement actually called for the introduction of a statutory register of lobbyists in order to "ensure greater transparency", then that momentum must now continue so that the issue is finally tackled head on. Lobbying must be discussed seriously and transparent rules must be put in place, in Westminster. This process will take some time, as it did here, so the sooner the process can start the better. The EP now has a leading position among European national parliaments with its joint lobby register for the commission and the parliament. It has been welcomed by the most-recognised professional lobby organisations, in Brussels. Alongside clarifying who they are and their policy interests, lobbyists also have to disclose an amount of financial information – although, there is always room to develop this aspect further. Most importantly, we managed to introduce a code of conduct for lobbyists - which in case of a breach will lead to a denial of access to the European institutions and adverse publicity.
A first and hugely important step to prove that the United Kingdom is serious about tackling concerns around lobbying would be to shine a transparent light on the activities of national ministers involved in European policy and law making when they attend European Council meetings. As yet, the council has declined to join the European Union joint register and is currently considering observer status. This needs to change, and Britain could help to spur that change in the wake of the circumstances of this latest ministerial departure.
At the same time, the EP will continue to work towards a mandatory system. We will not be able to introduce legislation on this until we have the council on board. In the first instance, the achievements of our voluntary system are considerable. With more than 4,000 registrants, this register can be taken seriously. But until the council joins the register, we can only encourage good practice. And, as with all things that start off cumbersome, transparency is merely a question of good habit. In my own office, my policy is to politely decline to meet any lobbyist - who does not register and to keep a record of my own legislative footprint whenever I am rapporteur or shadow rapporteur. I know that more and more MEPs from the UK are doing the same. Watching the events unroll in the UK taught us a lesson, but when will British MPs start to learn from their European counterparts?
Diana Wallis is a Liberal Democrat MEP, in the United Kingdom, and a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group - in the European Parliament
The last thing we want people to say when everything goes wrong is: "I told you so". And yet, we all find ourselves saying it from time to time. In the case of Liam Fox and his dealings with his friend Adam Werritty, I would not only like to say it - but also go further and ask one question: "Why did nobody see this coming?" Of course, this kind of reaction is not very helpful - but I do feel the need to vent some frustration for the very simple reason that by sharing best-practice and common experiences - as has been the very principle in Europe - this situation might have been avoided.
As vice-president of the European Parliament with specific responsibility for transparency, I have for some time been involved in negotiations with the European Commission to put in place a transparent system of dealing with the growing number of lobbyists in Brussels. In June, we saw the successful culmination of these negotiations with the launch of our joint lobby register called the "transparency register". Part of the reason that the register took a while to negotiate was that everyone has a different take on who is a lobbyist and who is not. Is there a world of difference between a representative of a non-governmental organisation fighting for a better environment and a commercial lobbyist? How about the Church representatives? And what about regional representatives? The result of this long and heated debate was a neat categorisation that could, in the end, satisfy everybody - with a clear division between commercial and non-commercial interests.
If it is thanks to Liberal Democrat pressure that the coalition agreement actually called for the introduction of a statutory register of lobbyists in order to "ensure greater transparency", then that momentum must now continue so that the issue is finally tackled head on. Lobbying must be discussed seriously and transparent rules must be put in place, in Westminster. This process will take some time, as it did here, so the sooner the process can start the better. The EP now has a leading position among European national parliaments with its joint lobby register for the commission and the parliament. It has been welcomed by the most-recognised professional lobby organisations, in Brussels. Alongside clarifying who they are and their policy interests, lobbyists also have to disclose an amount of financial information – although, there is always room to develop this aspect further. Most importantly, we managed to introduce a code of conduct for lobbyists - which in case of a breach will lead to a denial of access to the European institutions and adverse publicity.
A first and hugely important step to prove that the United Kingdom is serious about tackling concerns around lobbying would be to shine a transparent light on the activities of national ministers involved in European policy and law making when they attend European Council meetings. As yet, the council has declined to join the European Union joint register and is currently considering observer status. This needs to change, and Britain could help to spur that change in the wake of the circumstances of this latest ministerial departure.
At the same time, the EP will continue to work towards a mandatory system. We will not be able to introduce legislation on this until we have the council on board. In the first instance, the achievements of our voluntary system are considerable. With more than 4,000 registrants, this register can be taken seriously. But until the council joins the register, we can only encourage good practice. And, as with all things that start off cumbersome, transparency is merely a question of good habit. In my own office, my policy is to politely decline to meet any lobbyist - who does not register and to keep a record of my own legislative footprint whenever I am rapporteur or shadow rapporteur. I know that more and more MEPs from the UK are doing the same. Watching the events unroll in the UK taught us a lesson, but when will British MPs start to learn from their European counterparts?
Diana Wallis is a Liberal Democrat MEP, in the United Kingdom, and a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group - in the European Parliament
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