European Commissioner for Inter-Institutional relations and administration Maroš Šefčovič said that EU needs to establish an effective lobbying framework.
On 3 June, Šefčovič participated in the launch of the survey “Guide to effective lobbying in Brussels.” According to the Commissioner, the MEPs, the Ministers in the Council and the Commissioners, “have a duty to listen to what citizens, businesses, NGOs, associations etc. think, want or fear when it comes to policy making at EU level.” Therefore, lobbyists actions are part of this process.
However, Šefčovič stressed that the Commission, “wants lobbyists to understand how the political process works” in order to avoid “wasting time listening to views that are no longer relevant or impossible to implement.” Therefore an EU lobbying framework is necessary. Still, the former Slovak diplomat stressed that the EU institutions should not rely only upon the lobbying community. For that reason, the Commission has “to provide a strong framework which prevents the democratic process from undue influence.”
The Commissioner said that such a lobbying framework is established by the “Transparency Register” operated jointly by the Commission and the European Parliament. The register has more than 5,600 entries and provides direct and single access to information about who is trying to influence the EU decision-making process.
Šefčovič told to lobbyists participating in the event that what really makes lobbying most effective is being “transparent, accurate, having nothing to hide, and following the ethical guidelines that signing the register implies.”
However, the current EU lobbying framework can be improved and the Commissioner stressed that he is considering the pros and cons in making the registration in the Transparency register mandatory. Moreover, he expressed his hope that the Council will join the register, “to give…an even more comprehensive banking of the approach.”
