Belgian MEP blames assistant for industry-scripted amendments

Louis Michel, a Belgian MEP within the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), left for Mali on the 22 November 2013 amid a media storm that his office copy-pasted over 150 business-friendly amendments to the EU data protection bill.

Michel was said to have been unaware of the tabled amendments and blamed his assistant, who reportedly had resigned.

Some 229 amendments were tabled in his name, of which 158 weakened the reformed EU data protection regulation currently under legislative review by member states.

ESO: Background information: EU lawmakers vote stricter data privacy rules http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-lawmakers-vote-stricter-data-privacy-rules/

Wikipedia: Louis Michel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Michel

ESO: Background information: Secret lobbying by law firms shows the need for a mandatory transparency register http://www.europeansources.info/record/secret-lobbying-by-law-firms-shows-the-need-for-a-mandatory-transparency-register/

ESO: Background information: Tobacco lobbying derails MEP vote http://www.europeansources.info/record/tobacco-lobbying-derails-mep-vote/

ESO: Background information: MEPs have not changed behaviour despite lobbying scandals http://www.europeansources.info/record/meps-have-not-changed-behaviour-despite-lobbying-scandals/

ESO: Background information: MEPs copy-pasting amendments from US lobbyists http://www.europeansources.info/record/meps-copy-pasting-amendments-from-us-lobbyists/

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