The European Transparency Register was set up in 2011 after the Commission and Parliament agreed to have a joint register instead of the separate ones they had had earlier. Registration is currently voluntary, but the number of registrants has been picking up steadily in recent years. There are now more than 9,000 organisations on the list with about 1,000 new entries per year.

The transparency of EU decision-making has been an important issue for the Parliament. “On many occasions, Parliament has called for a mandatory register of lobbyists. We are also happy that the Commission now shares Parliament’s position and we are determined to go ahead together and ensure that the Council plays its part as well,” said EP Vice-President Guillaume ahead of the public debate.

The Commission launched a public consultation on a mandatory system in March and stakeholders are invited to share their views by 1 June. The Commission’s move followed up on the pledge made by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the start of his term to pursue more transparency and to propose a mandatory lobby register to Parliament and Council.

Follow the conference in the European Parliament on our website on Monday from 15.00 CET.