Text tabled : A7-0174/2011

  Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL), in writing. – (PT) The report states that the ‘transparency of political institutions is a prerequisite for legitimacy. It should be easy to scrutinise how decisions are made, what are the influences behind them and finally, how resources […] are allocated’.

However, there is often a big gap between theory and reality, despite Parliament having been the first EU institution to deal with the phenomenon of the growing number of interest groups at European level and, in particular, with the consequences of this development for the legislative process. Following various reports and in-depth debates, Parliament launched its register for representatives of interest groups in 1996.

In the meantime, the Commission also launched initiatives, creating a high-level joint working group in 2008 between Parliament and the Commission. In 2009, the group approved a joint declaration and a proposal for a common code of conduct. After the European elections, a new working group was established between Parliament and the Commission.

In November 2010, the working group was able to approve a draft agreement for the establishment of a ‘transparency register’ which ensures the widest possible participation of all categories of operator, while respecting their different or specific identities.