AmCham EU doubles down on commitment to principles of transparency

The pledge aims to raise awareness of the importance of allowing all interest groups to take part in public policy debates, which should be undertaken in full transparency. In addition, it stresses the need for the development of an improved transparency regulation in the EU supporting continued talks on the development of the inter-institutional agreement on a mandatory Transparency Register for lobbyists.

The ‘Transparency Pledge’ is an initiative of the Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP) through their new platform ‘Lobby Europe’. As a longstanding member of SEAP, AmCham EU fully embodies the organisation’s values of integrity, transparency and accuracy in our advocacy work. AmCham EU has always striven to work to the highest standards of integrity and transparency in its relations with the EU institutions. An open debate balances opposing interests, makes space for experts to be heard and allows policymakers to evaluate the impact of decisions on all interest groups.

The Transparency Register is an important tool for regulating the lobbying industry. The Commission’s proposal for a mandatory Transparency Register including all three EU institutions is a great step forward. In this regard, AmCham EU makes the following recommendations for a reformed Transparency Register:

• Apply a ‘one-stop shop’ approach, resulting in reduced administrative burden for registrants and less risk of confusion and duplication of rules;
• Offer a simpler and clearer set of guidelines to allow for better compliance as the Register currently suffers from disparity in the disclosure of information; and
• Provide better explanation of what the Register is in order to avoid misinterpretation of the information declared.

Sign the ‘Transparency Pledge’ here.