17 January 2006

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation, ALTER-EU has written to Commissioner SiimKallas recommending concrete and simple steps to make lobbying transparency a reality in the near future. ALTER-EU stresses that the EU needs rules on lobbying to avoid Abramoff scandals happening in Europe.

The ALTER-EU proposal includes specific recommendations for a lobby registration and disclosure system, for rules of conduct (e.g. regarding the "revolving door" between EU institutions and lobby firms) and for ensuring equal access for different interest groups to EU decision-making. ALTER-EU suggests establishing an independent public body with the necessary powers to act as a public guardian of lobbying transparency and ethics, e.g. a new lobbying transparency unit in the office of the European Ombudsman.

Paul de Clerck [2], campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe said: "With our letter we have shown that simple practical measures can be taken by the Commission to make lobbying transparency a reality in the near future. The Commission must now drive the European Transparency Initiative forward to provide visibility around lobbying for the European public, instead of waiting for lobbyists to come up with ineffective voluntary codes."

"ALTER-EU is ready to engage in that process and any discussions based upon a commitment to boost transparency and ethics in lobbying in Brussels", explained Ulrich Mueller from LobbyControl, a German lobby watchdog. "For ALTER-EU two objectives should guide the forthcoming ETI debate: ensuring comprehensive information for the public about who is lobbying on what issues and who is financing these lobby activities as well as equal access for different stakeholders to European decision-making."

In the US the Abramoff scandal has led parties from all sides in Washington to call for a tightening of existing US lobbying disclosure and ethics rules. "In Brussels, not even basic rules presently exist for its estimated 15,000 lobbyists", says Erik Wesselius of Corporate Europe Observatory. "The Commission cannot afford for this situation to continue and should proceed quickly with the lobbying disclosure chapter of the European Transparency Initiative."

For more information, please contact:

Paul de Clerck, Friends of the Earth Europe, +32 2 542 6107,
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Erik Wesselius, Corporate Europe Observatory, +31 30 2364422,
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Ulrich Mueller, LobbyControl, +49 221 169 6507,
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Notes for editors

1) Copies of the letter sent to the commission and the accompanying detailed recommendations are available at http://www.alter- eu.org/docs/letter-20060113.pdf and http://www.alter- eu.org/docs/recommendations-20060113.pdf. More information on ALTER- EU:

2) Paul De Clerck, Erik Wesselius and Ulrich Mueller are members of the Interim Steering Committee of ALTER-EU.

3) Commissioner Kallas first announced The European Transparency Initiative (ETI) in a flagship speech on 5 March 2005. The ETI is among other things intended to correct the current lack of transparency around the over 15,000 lobbyists working to influence the EU institutions. See http://europa.eu.int/comm/commission_barroso/kallas/transparency_en.htm

4) ALTER-EU and J@YS will hold a public debate on the European Transparency Initiative on January 27th International Press Centre, Résidence Palace, Maelbeek Room, 10am-12 with representatives from all sides to the debate over lobbying transparency, and an expert on the Abramoff case, see www.alter-eu.org for further details.

Spinwatch is part of the Alter-EU coalition and will be represented in Brussels on the 27th of January.