While lobbyists cannot, of course, be held responsible for MEPs’ bad behaviour, arguing as you did in last week’s editorial that “the current register could, for the moment, remain voluntary” fails to draw the right lessons from the ‘cash-for-influence’ scandal (“Reform of MEPs’ interests is in interest of all”, 7-13 April). 

Indeed, the scandal directly highlights the need for mandatory registration and reporting by lobbyists.

Ernst Strasser, one of the three MEPs caught on tape agreeing to submit amendments in return for promises of cash, was already being paid to lobby for industry clients, through his job as a consultant. Accepting the money offered by the undercover journalists was simply adding another company to his portfolio of clients.

The Austrian press had already carried reports about Strasser’s lobby work, including allegations that he had used his status as an MEP to arrange meetings at the European Commission for industry clients. Strasser denied those allegations, but the Sunday Times videos challenge his claims.

If the European Parliament had had a mandatory lobby-transparency system in place, Strasser’s lobby consultancy firm would have had to register itself, to disclose its clients, the amounts received, the issues lobbied on and the names of its lobbyists, including Strasser. Such a register would have brought Strasser’s scandalous behaviour out in the open sooner, and measures would have been taken.

In the US, mandatory registration and reporting have helped the Department of Justice discover corruption scandals involving numerous lobbyists and lawmakers, including the lobby consultant Jack Abramoff and Congressman Bob Ney, both of whom were given prison sentences.

A voluntary lobby-transparency register does not provide enough information for proper public scrutiny, and does not reveal unethical practices. Those who have something to hide will simply choose not to register or not to disclose relevant information. For these and many other reasons, Jerzy Buzek, the Parliament’s president, was right when, last month, he called upon MEPs to “establish a de facto mandatory register of our own, as a stepping stone towards a formally mandatory register across the institutions”.

From:

Olivier Hoedeman

Corporate Europe Observatory

Brussels

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