Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-08-Speech-4-030"
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"en.20080508.3.4-030"2
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"Mr President, in order to clear up certain misunderstandings and correct the populist statements made by some Members here and in the press, I wish to point out, too, in my capacity as a Quaestor, that the European Parliament has had rules to govern our relations with lobbyists for 12 years. These rules, set out in Rule 9(4) of the Rules of Procedure – which would be worth reading at least once! – stipulate that access to the European Parliament for lobbyists is controlled, regulated by access badges. In order to obtain a badge, lobbyists must fill out an accreditation form and provide a character reference and a letter signed by the police. The European Parliament keeps a register of all lobbyists, which is published on the European Parliament’s website. Accredited lobbyists must also comply with a code of conduct. Mrs Frassoni and others are thus stating the obvious. Any infringement of this code is punished by withdrawal of the lobbyist’s badge and exclusion from the register.
As regards the proposal for a single register, I do not think that there is any need for such a register with the Commission since the European Parliament and the Commission operate in completely different ways and, consequently, have different relationships with lobbyists. In the interest of the separation of powers at European level, Parliament must at all costs continue to be the sole body responsible for its Rules of Procedure. The Commission can copy our excellent system but we must have the last word when it comes to our own Rules. The report adopts a cautious approach to this register and I agree with that.
As regards financial disclosure, I do not see why accredited lobbyists should have to provide detailed financial information indicating the source of their funding and the allocation of these resources. Such a measure would be totally impracticable and counterproductive. I am also of the opinion that the scope of the lobbying is not always reflected in the financial means. An organisation’s good reputation and level of expertise are also crucial. I fully subscribe to the description of lobbying provided in recital D of the report. I must pay tribute to our former colleague, Alexander Stubb, with whom I did a lot of work on this issue, and I want to distance myself completely from the sweeping accusations made by the Greens who have spoken in this debate."@en1
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