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Mandatory Transparency Register: promising progress in the negotiations
The negotiators of the European Commission, Parliament, and Council acknowledge positive steps and look forward to achieving further progress together.
On Tuesday, 6 October 2020, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová, the European Parliament negotiators, Vice-President Katarina Barley and Danuta Hübner, Member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, together with Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office Michael Roth for the German Presidency of the Council, and, met to take stock of the process and to determine next steps in the negotiations for a tripartite mandatory Transparency Register. The representatives of the three EU institutions welcomed the progress on the points discussed so far, especially with regard to the scope of the new register.
The provisional terms of the relevant parts of the draft agreement reflect the different nature and requirements of each institution, and are fully in line with the commitments reaffirmed at the previous political meeting on 16 June 2020.
In this context, the negotiators welcomed the additional clarity on the future purpose and scope for an enhanced Transparency Register, which will allow for a common coordinated approach while leaving each institution free to determine the particulars that pertain to its work. This development sets the foundation for further progress on outstanding points.
Vice-President Věra Jourová yesterday said:
“I welcome the substantial progress made and the pre-closure of two packages of Articles of the agreement. The Commission is happy to agree with the solutions found on issue of governance and definitions – with understanding that drafting may still be improved and refined in the context of the further discussions towards an overall agreement. I trust we are close to finding solutions that will bring more transparency and light to the European institutions decision-making – which will bring us closer to the citizens.”
Next steps
The negotiators also took positive note of the progress achieved at technical level on the question of how to strengthen the existing Transparency Register's governance and resources, whilst ensuring that all institutions will be on an equal footing through a joint operational structure while also taking into account their specificities. This first exchange of views has yielded some common ground - although the discussion will continue.
The three institutions reiterated their common ambition to reach an agreement on this important file as soon as possible, with the objective to establish in practice a common culture of transparent and ethical interactions with interest representatives, delivering the transparency expected by EU citizens. As part of the ongoing negotiations, technical discussions, including on the question of conditionality, will take place in the coming weeks.
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