EU Transparency Register: 2021 interinstitutional agreement

The European Parliament set up its Transparency Register in 1995, in response to criticism regarding the transparency and accountability of the EU's decision-making process in the context of widespread lobbying of the EU institutions. The Commission followed suit in 2008. The two institutions merged their instruments in a joint European Transparency Register in 2011 on the basis of an interinstitutional agreement (IIA); the Council remained only an observer at that time. This original Transparency Register was a voluntary system of registration for entities seeking to influence the EU decision-making process. Following a political review, a new improved registration system was introduced in January 2015. However, Parliament continued to call for a mandatory register for lobbyists interacting with the EU institutions, to ensure better standards for lobbying and more transparency. The Parliament, Council and Commission eventually agreed an Interinstitutional Agreement on a Mandatory Transparency Register, which entered into force on 1 July 2021. This time, the Council became a signatory to the agreement rather than just an observer. The new IIA is based on the conditionality principle and introduces other new features, including a reinforced structure for the follow up and management of the IIA. While introducing some principles to enhance a common culture of transparency, the IIA leaves the three signatories to implement the conditionality and subsequent complementary measures as they see fit. This updates and expands on a briefing of May 2016, by Marie Thiel and Elisabeth Bauer.