Lobbyists to lobby for themselves as Brussels changes the rules

Lobbyists frequently rule Brussels and after years of promising to take action, the European Commission is to introduce a register of the 15,000 or so working daily in the EU capital.

They are being asked to say whom they represent and how much they are paid. No strong and independent body has been established to oversee them or check that what they say agrees with the facts.

The register, to come into force in March, is a voluntary one and will apply to any group that wants access to the Commission and Parliament to lobby. They will be asked to declare relevant budget figures and breakdown on major clients and funding sources.

But despite this the lobbyists, some European and many US owned, are muttering about trade secrets and efforts to control them.

Perhaps for the first time, the lobbyists are lobbying for themselves.

Lobbyists are involved at every level in Brussels and in the capital cities of the EU member states. They lobby the Commission if not directly talking to the civil servants drawing up the legislation; the Commissioners themselves spend much of their time meeting those with vested interests.

The European Parliament is more of a lobbyist’s playground than ever before, reflecting the fact that over the last few years it has an equal say with the member states on an increasing amount of legislation.

Mr Kallas however is at pains to point out that there is nothing wrong with lobbying. In fact, he says, lobbying is necessary in that it provides information to the decision makers about the issues, and keeps them in touch with those who will be affected by planned legislation. He adds that many MEPs consider lobbyists as a very valuable source of information and inspiration.

He admits though that some lobbying is wrong — for instance groups that conceal their real interests and he argues that asking lobbyists to give a not-very- detailed breakdown of their funding and how they spend it is essential to keep the business clean.

This is a very light self-regulation, he reminded them, especially compared to the demands placed on some of the same companies when they are operating in Washington. Whether the lobbyists win for themselves this time will be obvious come March.