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Transparency International Opinion on: MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION on Transparency, accountability and integrity in the EU institutions (2015/2041(INI)) Below Transparency International EU provides feedback on the different topics touched upon in the own-initiative report on “Transparency, accountability and integrity in the EU institutions” by Sven Giegold. The text details which proposals we support and which points need to be amended to really tackle corruption issues around the EU institutions. These recommendations build on our previous recommendations in this area published in our report Money, Politics, Power: Corruption Risks in Europe, the European Union Integrity System Study and the report on Lobbying in Europe.
Introducing a legislative footprint, making the lobby register as mandatory as possible Transparency International supports both to make the lobby register mandatory and the objective to introduce a legislative footprint. In general, the EU institutions should make it as difficult as possible for a lobbyist to influence EU decision-making without signing-up to the EU Transparency Register. In this context, we emphasise the importance of the Council becoming a full member of the EU Transparency Register. The European Commission should extend its ban on meetings with unregistered lobbyists to all officials. Council and Parliament should also end contacts with unregistered lobbyists. In order to improve the quality of the Register, the EU Institutions need to reinforce their efforts to encourage all organisations to sign up to the Register, including law firms and consultancies. Instead of reporting lobby expenditures on a monthly basis, updates to registrations should generally be filed whenever substantial changes occur (change of more than 10%), with a full review at least once a year. We welcome the idea of introducing a legislative footprint for EU institutions and bodies involved in the policy-making process. A detailed description of our recommendations in this area can be found here.
Transparency, accountability and integrity in dealing with lobbyists Transparency International has recently filed complaints against half the organisations on the EU Transparency Register, for failing to provide correct information on their lobbying activities. In order to manage risks of undue influence and to ensure that registrants provide meaningful, accurate, up-todate and comprehensive information, we need better guidelines, a proper monitoring system and effective sanctions for those organisations not playing by the rules. For this, more resources are needed. A detailed list of recommendations and proposals on how EU lobbying transparency can be improved is available here.
Defending integrity against conflicts of interest In order to strengthen the ethics regime of the European Parliament and contribute to regaining citizens’ trust, Transparency International recommends to prohibit work as paid lobbyists for sitting MEPs. It is also important to publish more detailed information on outside activities and incomes to allow a meaningful monitoring of potential conflicts of interest. Better guidelines should support MEPs, but it needs a minimum monitoring as well. In addition, the oversight body (Advisory Committee) needs to be more independent, should be able to initiate inquiries itself and should be allowed to sanction members in case of violation of the Code.
Cooling off periods to insure integrity among office holders and staff Transparency International supports a cooling-off period of two years for MEPs, prohibiting them for that period to be active as lobbyists or advising on lobbying towards the EU institutions, in particular towards their former colleagues in the European Parliament. Similar rules should apply (or continue to apply) for European Commissioners and senior civil servants in all EU Institutions. The new regime should provide clear, formalized guidance on how to manage conflicts of interest and decisions on postemployment should not be taken by sitting MEPs or Commissioners, but by an independent body.
Realising the objective of full access to documents Although transparency has increased in the institutions, Transparency International believes that improvements can still be made. EU budget and spending data should be available in open source format. A centralised and up-to-date register of documents for all institutions would improve the disclosure of information, particularly for documents relating to the legislative procedure. The access to documents regime should apply to all EU institutions, bodies and agencies.
Transparency for accountability in the legislative process Transparency International’s research on the Integrity of the EU Institutions and Lobbying in Europe has repeatedly shown that the Council is the biggest “transparency blind spot” among the institutions. We support the suggestion to make COREPER and working group level meetings more transparent and publish positions and voting of member states. Agendas, attendee lists and minutes should be published for internal Council meetings as well as trilogues between Parliament, Council and the Commission.
Transparency and accountability of economic governance in the eurozone To strengthen the accountability of Eurozone governance, Transparency International recommends that member states’ positions and voting in the Eurogroup and EcoFin be made public. Agendas should be published ahead of meetings. These recommendations should also apply to the preparatory bodies (EPC, EFC, EWG). Parliament should be involved in the European Semester and able to closely scrutinise programme country reviews. The ESM should be included in the remit of the EU treaties. The further deepening of EMU will need proportionate increases in transparency and democratic accountability. The same is true for the ECB and its expanded powers, especially the SSM. In a detailed position paper on ECB transparency we recommend, inter alia, the timely publication of voting records, a stronger policy on conflicts of interest, and participation in the EU Transparency Register.
Protection of whistleblowers, fight against corruption Transparency International has repeatedly pointed out the inadequate implementation of the EU staff regulation in many EU institutions, where guidelines on how to protect whistleblowers are still missing despite the legal obligation. In the case of the European Parliament, guidelines were finally adopted in the beginning of 2016, but they still fail to provide adequate measures for the special working relationship that accredited assistants have with their members. In order to strengthen transparency and support the fight against money laundering, all companies that receive EU funds should reveal their beneficial owners in a public register. As previously recommended, companies excluded from tendering for EU funds by the Commission should be publicly listed by default to better protect EU financial interest and allow scrutiny by the wider public.
