Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-17-Speech-4-055-000"
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"en.20110217.5.4-055-000"2
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".
Mr President, of course, I do not know how much you know of the history of this issue, but I am particularly pleased to replace my colleague, Maroš Šefčovič, in replying to this question, because for the last five years it has been my domain. I was responsible for this area and am very pleased to tell you what has really been changed. It was an expert groups issue and, of course, unfortunately I have only three minutes to reply to your question. I will try to do my best.
Parliament’s committees have the same political responsibility when they meet in the presence of the same lobbyists. Do not forget that in 2005 we also launched a transparency register, then called the ‘lobbyist register’ and now the ‘register of interest representatives’, which has now developed into a joint register with Parliament. That is a great step ahead.
So something has been done. Things do not look so bad.
As we mentioned, the new framework for Commission expert group was adopted in November 2010. It provides that, when defining the composition of these groups, the Commission departments concerned shall aim to ensure the balanced representation of relevant areas of expertise and areas of interest, while taking into account the work to be carried out and the specific expertise required.
The new framework for Commission expert groups provides for clearer and stronger horizontal rules on how to manage conflicts of interest. According to these rules, the relevant Commission services shall inform experts who are appointed in a personal capacity that, by accepting to be members of the group, they commit themselves to acting independently and in the public interest. These rules, which apply to all expert groups, constitute the Commission’s sole policy on this matter and are requirements that all services must fulfil.
In October 2005, in an example of good cooperation with Parliament and Jens Bonde, MEP, the Commission launched an online public register of expert groups which provided valuable information on different aspects, such as the group’s mission, tasks and composition. Since 2007, the Commission has been gradually publishing the names of expert group members, whether formally or informally established. This goes beyond the commitment made by the Commission in the 2005 framework for expert groups, which applied only to members of formal groups.
In 2009, the composition of expert groups was fully disclosed in the register. Thus, in principle, the names of all members of expert groups are available. This was a very strong requirement that Parliament imposed in 2005 and it has been complied with.
Following the adoption of the new framework for Commission expert groups, the Commission drew up a new version of the register in December 2010. This new version enhances transparency by providing new and more accurate information, notably on the type of entities listed and the procedures used to select members.
Furthermore, the new register increases transparency on the activities carried out by each group by allowing Commission departments to either publish relevant information in the register, or to provide a link from the register to a dedicated website where information can be found.
Finally, the presentation and readability of data encoded in the register has also been improved. Given the huge amount of information to be treated, the transition from the old to the new version of the register is still ongoing. Thus, some of the data still needs to be validated. The transition needs to be completed over the next few months.
Moreover, because for five and a half years I discussed these issues with various civil society organisations and Members of Parliament, I would ask you not to mystify the experts. There is no arithmetical link between the composition of expert groups and a decision. The decision is the Commission’s political responsibility."@en1
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