Vice-President of the Commission, Maroš Šefčovič spoke on Friday at the General Assembly of the European Public Affairs Consultancies’ Association (EPACA), addressing the issue of the review of the Transparency register and stressing that EU citizens have the right to be informed about the EU decision-making process.
As Vice-President Šefčovič stated: “Transparency facilitates scrutiny and hence accountability.” And added: “A democratic society is a society with transparent and accountable institutions but it is not a society led by "Big brother". I need thus to emphasize that the European Commission must constantly act in a responsible way.”
The Transparency register is one of a series of initiatives developed for the benefit of EU citizens with a view to enhance transparency of the EU decision making process. The Transparency portal that was launched last year has given citizens access to a wide range of information in order to make them aware of how decisions are being taken.
Vice-President Šefčovič said that this year a review of the Transparency register is going to take place. This review will include the findings of a public consultation that was held last year and a report drafted by the joint secretariat on the operation of the Register so far. In particular, the report assessed the Register and set the objectives for the future that include the improvement of the registrations in terms of both quality and quantity.
Finally, he highlighted that all possibilities of improvement will be examined and concluded that this is an opportunity for the Council to revisit its own participation in the scheme.
The transparency register been set up and is operated by the European Parliament and the European Commission for almost two years now. It provides citizens with direct access to information about who is engaged in activities aiming at influencing the EU decision making process, which interests are being pursued and what level of resources are invested in these activities.
