Commission Launches Voluntary Lobby Register

摘要

The European Commission launched, on 23 June, for a one-year trial period, its public register for lobbyists present in Brussels. Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Commissioner Siim Kallas defends the voluntary approach, which for him is less bureaucratic than a binding legislation. "I think that today we are celebrating a real cultural change in this aspect of the Union's decision-making process," said Kallas during the presentation of the register to the public. Three years after his transparency initiative was launched, the vice-president of the Commission is glad to have created the first recording system for interest representatives working around the EU institutions. "Lobbying is a necessary and growing business, and regulation is inescapable. I am happy that the profession agrees and has signalled its readiness to protect its own reputation and help us preserve the legitimacy of our interaction."