National representations in Brussels: open for corporate lobbyists

The study, ‘National representations in Brussels: open for corporate lobbyists’ by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), reveals how these government missions to EU institutions are a target for big business lobbyists looking to promote their agendas.

Meanwhile, the report exposes the inadequacy of the current EU lobby transparency regime which is both voluntary and excludes lobbying directed at the permanent representations and the Council. The study shows that at least one in five lobby meetings at some national offices are with companies and organisations unregistered in the current EU register.

The research, based on access to information requests, also exposes the lack of record-keeping about lobby meetings by permanent representations which makes it difficult for citizens to find out with whom their governments meet on the development of key EU policies. Only four of the seventeen governments approached (Ireland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Poland) provided significant information on lobby meetings.

ALTER-EU: Member state offices in Brussels: wide open to corporate lobbyists http://alter-eu.org/member-state-offices-in-brussels-wide-open-to-corporate-lobbyists

Politico, 22.03.16: Transparency groups target lobbying weak spot http://www.politico.eu/article/transparency-groups-target-lobbying-weak-spot-eu-ngo-transparency/

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