Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-08-Speech-4-021"
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"en.20080508.3.4-021"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, for the Greens/European Free Alliance Group the watchword on the ex-Stubb report is transparency. There is undoubtedly a tendency – and we have heard from some of its exponents here – to underestimate, probably in good faith, the effects and effectiveness of lobbyists' work, possibly in ways that none of us can even imagine as serious Members who operate in good faith and are decent and respectful of others. The facts are clear and keep coming to light daily: for example, we have known for a few weeks now that 34 officials within the Commission are being paid directly by private firms.
Some recent research has found that most of the Groups – with the exception of just one, my own, but probably others too – that most of the amendments they tabled on REACH originated from a lobby. Furthermore, it emerges that some of the officials assisting Members with their work in certain committees are or have been employed by firms and are now working for us as national experts; Members are obviously unaware of this.
In our opinion, therefore, the work we are doing today does not put an end to the issue of lobbies, and I do not believe that the work of Commissioner Kallas ends with the report we are adopting today. That is why we have emphatically backed all the amendments and all the work done by everyone – including the Socialist Group, the GUE/NGL Group and the Liberal Group – on those amendments and texts aimed at improving the situation and enhancing transparency.
However, there are still some problems concerning the Stubb report which we hope can be resolved at the vote. The first relates to lawyers: when lawyers work with us and seek to influence legislation they are lobbyists, even when giving a legal opinion. We hope that this amendment will be rejected.
Next, there is obviously the question of determining when this code of conduct should enter into force. It absolutely has to do so before the forthcoming European elections, because otherwise we will be starting off another term, another excessively long period of time.
Finally, Mr President, I really do not think that this question of lobbying can be settled by stating that we dislike it, or by criminalising lobbies. In our opinion the problem with transparency is finding out whom we are dealing with, what they are doing and who is paying them: that is, the issue of financial disclosure. The report perhaps does not yet make all of this absolutely clear, but it can be clarified, and here I agree with Mr Carnero about the tasks of the working group which is to be set up."@en1
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