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On Tuesday, 6 October 2020, 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 Germany's Presidency of the Council of the EU and Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová - 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.

Quotes

On behalf of the Germany's Presidency of the Council of the EU, Michael Roth, Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office, welcomed the progress made and reiterated the Presidency's firm determination to go forward on this important dossier:

This file is a priority for the German Council Presidency. Transparency is a crucial tool to increase the European citizens’ trust and confidence in their institutions at EU-level. We are thus fully committed to continue to engage constructively with the Parliament and the Commission, with the ambition to reach an agreement by the end of the year. Our meeting today was an important milestone for strengthening the framework for transparent and ethical interactions between interest representatives and the three institutions.

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.

Background

The European Commission presented its proposal for a new inter-institutional agreement on a mandatory Transparency Register for interest representatives covering the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on 28 September 2016. The proposal aims to strengthen the framework for transparent and ethical interactions between interest representatives and the three institutions participating in the new scheme. Since 2011, the Parliament and the Commission have jointly operated a public register for interest representatives aiming to increase the transparency and accountability of the EU decision-making process. The Council has been an observer to the current scheme since 2014.