EUROPA - EU law and publications - EUR-Lex - EUR-Lex - 01030303_3 - EN - Lobbying regulation: the EU’s transparency register

whereas lobby groups not only lobby its Members but also attempt to influence Parliament's decisions by lobbying officials working in the secretariats of parliamentary committees, the staff of political groups and Members' assistants,

Recognises the influence of lobby groups on EU decision-making and therefore considers it essential that Members of Parliament should know the identity of the organisations represented by lobby groups; emphasises that transparent and equal access to all the EU institutions is an absolute prerequisite for the Union's legitimacy and trust among its citizens; stresses that transparency is a two-way street that is needed both in the work of the institutions themselves and among the lobbyists; stresses that equal access for lobby groups to the EU institutions increases the expertise available for running the Union; considers it essential ...[+++]that representatives of civil society have access to the EU institutions, first and foremost to Parliament;

– For "in-house" lobbyists and trade associations active in lobbying, an estimate of the cost associated with the direct lobbying of EU institutions should be provided.

– For professional consultancies and law firms involved in lobbying EU institutions, the turnover linked to lobbying EU institutions, as well as the relative weight of the clients in this turnover, should be declared.

External scrutiny can act as a deterrent against improper forms of lobbying. Transparency measures can provide information about who is engaged in lobbying activities and the positions they take when lobbying the European institutions.