EU Lobbying Transparency Public Debate – HAVE YOUR SAY, European Parliament, 2 May 2016

Brussels, 2 May 2016 – EPACA Chairman Karl Isaksson attended as panelist the EU Lobbying Transparency Public Debate – HAVE YOUR SAY

Karl Isaksson was invited by First Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Frans Timmermans, and MEP Sylvie Giullaume to speak at a public debate hosted on 2 May in the European Parliament.

The European Parliament and the European Commission are committed to being open about the interest groups and organisations with which they interact and have set up the joint Transparency Register to help make the EU decision-making process more transparent and allow for public scrutiny. The European Commission is presently running a public consultation to prepare a proposal for an Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory Transparency Register.

In order to prepare our negotiations on a future system, we have decided to hold a public debate in order to hear the views of all interested parties on the performance of the current Transparency Register and the possible evolution towards a mandatory scheme, covering also the Council. The aim is to have an interactive event with participants representing a wide range of stakeholders, including from Member States. This will hopefully enable all present to engage in a debate resulting in useful ideas and recommendations.