Answer given by First Vice-President Timmermans on behalf of the Commission

1.6.2018

1. The registration of an organisation in the Transparency Register is made on the basis of certain information to be provided by registrants. All registrants are bound by the Register's Code of Conduct and are responsible for the information supplied. In particular, they must ensure that the information is complete, up-to-date and not misleading. The Joint Transparency Register Secretariat, operated by the European Parliament and the Commission, performs regular eligibility and quality checks and acts upon complaints and alerts it receives. Organisations may be refused registration or removed if they are not eligible or if a breach of the Code of Conduct is established.

2. The Joint Transparency Register Secretariat verifies compliance with the Interinstitutional Agreement on the Transparency Register. There are no exclusions foreseen based on the nationality of an organisation’s members.

3. The Commission would like to draw the attention of the Honourable Member that the Transparency Register is operated jointly by the European Parliament and the Commission. According to the provisions of the Interinstitutional Agreement on the Transparency Register, the Joint Transparency Register Secretariat may open an investigation into alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct. In case the Honourable Member has any concrete allegations relating to possible breaches by the Open Dialog Foundation or its representatives, he is welcome to transmit them to the Joint Transparency Register Secretariat which will ensure due follow-up. The European Parliament provides badges for registrants through its own accreditation service. The Commission is not responsible for ensuring Members of the European Parliament's security in their contacts with interest representatives.