New code to set rules for activities of lobbyists

Date: 27/03/1997

By Rory Watson

THE potentially uneasy relationship between lobbyists and MEPs will soon be clarified in a new ten-point code of conduct being finalised by the European Parliament.

It will be the first time the Parliament has laid down rules for the growing army of public affairs consultants following and seeking to influence Union legislation.

Under the code, which has taken almost two years to draft, lobbyists will have to complete a register and respect certain ground rules in exchange for a permanent parliamentary pass.

If they fail to do so, accreditation may be withdrawn from individuals and even their firms.

British Socialist MEP Glyn Ford, who has played a leading role in drafting the code, believes it is a pragmatic and workable formula.

“What we have done is to go from an essentially unregulated situation to one which is as strong, if not stronger, as those applied in national parliaments such as the UK's House of Commons,” he said after the Parliament's rules committee endorsed the draft code last week.

The new requirements are unlikely to cause many problems for reputable public affairs consultants and lobbyists since, in many areas, they reflect standards already applied by over 35 Brussels-based firms which have regular dealings with Union institutions.

Maria Laptev, Charles Barker's Brussels-based divisional director and secretary of the group of companies which has signed up to a voluntary corporate code, fully supports the parliamentary initiative.

“The one thing we are trying to achieve is transparency. That is what brought us all together. If you enter this exercise with that sentiment, then you are on the right track,” she said.

The latest draft code, which will be considered by the full Parliament in May, goes further than earlier drafts and has the backing of the institution's two largest political groups: the Socialists and the European People's Party.

It stipulates that lobbyists would have to submit a regular annual report “on their activities carried out with the aim of influencing decision-making in the European Parliament”.

It would also bring the rules for firms wishing to hire ex-MEPs into line with those applying to the recruitment of parliamentary officials who leave the institution.

But some MEPs may try to tighten up the requirement after Easter by insisting companies should inform the Parliament's president of any ex-members recruited within three years of losing or resigning their mandate.