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Secret multinationals’ office revealed in the European Parliament

Thu, 24/04/2008 - 18:13 — admin-b

At the EUDemocrats website this news broke out:

A new scandal was revealed today, Thursday April 24th. Twenty eight (28) leading multinational companies have had their own lobbying office in the European Parliament, with Parliament’s telephone number and address.

Members of Parliament have been involved in a special board for this secret lobbyist activity. Their group leaders have known nothing about their involvement. The MEPs have been handpicked to serve business interests under the leadership of the Spanish Vice President, Vidal-Quadras, Chairman of EBPS, assisted by a Parliamentary board including John Bowis (EPP-ED), Lena Ek (ALDE), Angelika Niebler (EPP-ED), Edit Herczog (PES), Manuel Medina Orterga (PES) and Dirk Sterckx (ALDE).

Big multinational companies, namely, Gas de France, Telefonica, Thalys, British American Tobacco, Unilever, Ericsson, Microsoft and others are involved.

The European Parliament and Business Scheme (EBPS) were set up by former President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox. He is now a leading business consultant and President of the International European Movement. He is also campaigning for a Yes to the Lisbon Treaty in the Irish referendum foreseen for June 12, 2008.

The scandal was revealed during the Conference of Presidents meeting today in Strasbourg. Green party leader Monika Frassoni informed her colleagues, and they decided by a majority vote to ask the College of Quaestors to end this lobbyist activity.

The European Parliament shall decide about lobbyism in the mini session in Brussels on May 8. This is also the last voting day for the President of the Group for Independence and Democracy, Jens-Peter Bonde, who was recently elected president of EUD –a political party at European level aimed at improving democracy and transparency in the EU.

Bonde was quoted as saying: “I have asked the Parliaments’ leadership to establish a full investigation on how this secret working group could be established behind the necks of all group leaders”.

In future we will list all the flaws from the YES side in Ireland (fake media reports on the assault on the MEP, deceptions by Barrosso and others, problems with taxes and farmers). Today’s story will definitely add to the swing of many Irish voters towards rejection of the Renamed EU Treaty.

What will be after the Irish referendum? Friday the 13th. Good Friday mind you, get ready.

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Thu, 08/05/2008 - 13:38 — admin-b

Call for proper control and binding rules for lobbyists

NEWS UPDATE
FROM THE GUE/NGL GROUP

Brussels, 08/05/2008

Call for proper control and binding rules for lobbyists

With an estimated 15,000 lobbyists and 2,500 lobby organisations in Brussels as well as 5,000 lobbyists operating in the European Parliament alone, MEPs debated a report on this issue today. Speaking during the debate, GUE/NGL MEP Søren Søndergaard (The Peoples Movement against EU in Denmark) recognised that the report was a “step in the right direction although not a huge one”.

He said action was needed, “not because lobbying is evil but because it has such an enormous influence and it is entirely unacceptable that these activities take place without proper control and binding rules.”

“My group is calling for more stringent checks, a register that guarantees full clarity and full transparency, an ethical code of conduct, including for law firms, to be implemented before the elections in 2009 as well as effective monitoring and visible sanctions for those who breach this code.”

On the issue of financial disclosure, MEP Søndergaard concluded “lobbyists should be obliged to provide the same information on their financial interests as MEPs.”

“Lobbyists are not bogeymen”, said Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann (GUE/NGL, Germany) but legitimate in a democracy and should be part and parcel of the open dialogue that is needed on all issues. “Our duty as legislators is to get broadly informed on all issues and take our information from as many sources as we can. Clearly we require transparency; this is crucial for the credibility of EU.”

Ms Kaufmann called for “clear and strong rules for the three institutions applicable to all lobbyists as well as information revealing where their funding comes from and who is paying them.”

Fri, 09/05/2008 - 15:52 — admin-b

MEPs vote to tighten up rules for Brussels lobbyists

Newscut from EUobserver’s article:

“It is an important step towards more transparency in European legislation,” said Ingo Friedrich, the German centre-right MEP, in charge of the dossier in the parliament.

However, the measures have been criticised by some MEPs, particularly from the Green group, as they fall short of strict financial disclosure, with the details to be thrashed out later.

In addition, they voted to exempt lawyers from the measures.

“Lawyers are exempted from the scope of rules, which, given all available evidence is absurd,” said Italian Green MEP Monica Frassoni. “Lawyers play an increasingly important role in influencing policy in Brussels and they promote themselves as such on their own websites,” she added.

The measures are hoped to be in place for the European Parliament in time for the European elections next year in June. They would update the minimal register that has been in place in the parliament since 1996.