ISSUE: 1/2022

  • Volume 26
  • Number 1
  • 2022

Subscribe NEWSLETTER

Studia Europejskie –
Studies in European Affairs

ISSN: 1428-149X
e-ISSN: 2719-3780

Ccbync License

License

Articles published in the journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International License

Lobbying in the European Union and Interinstitutional Agreement on a Mandatory Transparency Register for Lobbyists

Abstract

The article presents the effects of an attempt to ascertain to what extent the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register affects the phenomenon of lobbying in the European Union (EU). In order to examine the issue, the concept and essence of lobbying in the EU were introduced. Legal regulations concerning EU lobbying were also identified. A further portion of the article analyses the Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 May 2021 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission on a mandatory transparency register (IAMTR) in relation to the previously binding Agreement between the Parliament and the European Commission on the transparency register for organisations and self-employed individuals in EU Policy-making and Policy implementation (ATR). The article uses the formal-dogmatic method. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register contains numerous exclusions, both subjective and objective, to registration in the Transparency Register. One positive aspect is the application of the IAMTR to the EU Council also.

References

Ammann, O. (2021) “Transparency at the Expense of Equality and Integrity: Present and Future Directions of Lobby Regulation in the European Parliament”, European Papers – A Journal on Law and Integration. Vol. 6 (1), pp. 239–268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15166/2499-8249/465.

Agreement between the European Parliament and the European Commission on the transparency register for organisations and self-employed individuals engaged in EU policy-making and policy implementation (2014), Offi cial Journal L277, 19 September, pp. 11–24. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32014Q0919(01) (Access 25.12.2021).

Bitonti, A. and Hogan, J. (2021) Lobbying Regulation in Harris, P., Bitonti, A., Fleisher, C.S., Skorkjaer Binderkrantz, A. (eds.) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Interest Groups, Lobbying and Public Affairs. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-13895-0_105-1.

Blanke, H.J. and Mangiameli, S. (2013) Article 11 [Participatory Democracy] in Blanke, H.J. and Mangiameli, S. (eds.) The Treaty on European Union (TEU). Berlin: Springer. DOI: https://prima.uwb.edu.pl:2108/10.1007/978-3-642-31706-4_12 .

Brandsma, G.J. (2019) “Transparency of EU informal trilogues through public feedback in the European Parliament: Promise unfulfi lled”, Journal of European Public Policy. Vol. 26(10), pp. 1464–1483. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2018.1528295.

Brandsma, G.J. et al. (2021) “Inside the Black box of trilogues: introduction to the special issue”, Journal of European Public Policy. Vol. 28 (1), pp. 1–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2020.1859600.

CCBE (2016) Response to the Public Consultation on a propos al for mandatory Transparency Register, 20 May. Available at: https://www.ccbe.eu/
fileadmin/speciality_distribution/public/documents/EUROPEAN_TRANSPARENCY_REGISTER/ETR_Position_papers/EN_ETR_20160520_CCB_response_to_the_Public_Consultation_on_a_propos_al_for_mandatory_Transparency_Register_TR_pdf (Access 25.12.2021).

Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – consolidated version (2016) Offi cial Journal C202, 7 June, pp. 389–405. Available at:
http://data.europa.eu/eli/treaty/char_2016/oj (Access 25.12.2021).

Clarke, L. and Swindells, K. (2021) “Why the EU’s new tech legislation could become the most lobbied in history”, The New Statesman. 19.02.
Available at: https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2021/02/why-eus-new-tech-legislation-could-become-most-lobbied-history (Access 25.12.2021).

Coen, D. and Richardson, J. (2009) Learning to Lobby the European Union: 20 Years of Change in Coen, D. and Richardson, J. (eds.)
Lobbying the European Union: Institutions, Actors, and Issues. New York: Oxford University Press.

Coen, D., Katsaitis, A. and Vannoni, M. (2021) Business Lobbying in the European Union. New York: Oxford University Press. DOI:10.1093/
oso/9780199589753.001.0001.18.

Council Decision (EU) 2021/929 of 6 May 2021 on the regulation of contacts between the General Secretariat of the Council and interest representatives (2021) Offi cial Journal L207, 11 June, pp.19–21. Available at: https://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2021/929 (Access 2.09.2021).

Corporate Europe Observatory, Lobby Control (2021), The Lobby Network: Big Tech’s Web of Infl uence in the EU. Available at: https://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/The%lobby%20network%20-%20Big%Techs%20web%20of%20influence%20in%20
the%20EU.pdf (Access 25.12.2021).

Doliwa-Klepacka, A. (2011) “Ways of influencing the process of law establishment by lobby groups in the European Union”, Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric. Vol. 26(39), pp. 245–255.

Doliwa-Klepacka, A. (2014) Stanowienie aktów ustawodawczych w Unii Europejskiej. Warszawa–Białystok: Oficyna Wydawnicza ASPRA.
EESC (2010) Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on “The implementation of the Lisbon Treaty: participatory democracy
and the citizens initiative (Article 11)” (own-initiative opinion), OJ C 354, 28.12.2010, pp. 59–65.

Espinoza, J. (2020) “Internal Google document reveals campaign against EU lawmakers”, Financial Times. 28.10, pp. 1–3. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/d9d05b1e-45c0-44b8-a1ba-3aa6d0561bed (Access 25.12.2021).

European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication (2021) Report: Public opinion in the European Union (Standard Eurobarometer no.
95), June–July, pp. 34–53. Available at: https://europa.eu/eurobarometr/surveys/datail/2532 (Access 25.12.2021).

European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication, Leyen, U. (2020) Political Guidelines for the next European Commission
2019–2014, Publications Offi ce, Available at: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2775/368914 (Access 25.12.2021).

European Commission Proposal for a Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory Transparency Register COM(2016) 627 final, 28
September. (2016) Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52016PC0627 (Access 2.09.2021).

European Parliament resolution of 14 September 2017 on transparency, accountability and integrity in the EU institutions (2015/2041(INI)) (2018) Offi cial Journal C 337, 20 September, pp.120–130. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52017IP0358 (Access 25.12.2021).

Grad, J. and Frischhut, M. (2019) Legal and Ethical Rules in EU Decision-Making: “Soft Law” for Targets and Actors of Lobbying in Diler, D. and
Richter M. (eds.) Lobbying in the European Union. Cham: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98800-9_22.

Graniszewski, J. and Piątkowski, C. (2004) Grupy interesu w Unii Europejskiej. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Sejmowe.

Greenwood, J. and Thomas, C.S. (1998) “Introduction: Regulating Lobbying in the Western World”, Parliamentary Affairs. Vol. 51(4), pp. 487–488.
Interinstitutional Agreement of 20 May 2021 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on a mandatory transparency register (2021) Official Journal L207, 11 June, pp. 1–17. Available at: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/2021/611/oj (Access 25.12.2021).

Kenig-Witkowska, M.M. and Łazowski, A. (2019) Źródła prawa Unii Europejskiej in Kenig-Witkowska, M.M. (ed.) Prawo instytucjonalne Unii Europejskiej. Warszawa: C.H. BECK, pp. 150–217.

Korkea-aho, E. (2016) “Mr Smith Goes To Brussels: Third Country Lobbying and the Making of EU Law and Policy”, Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies. Vol. 18, pp. 45–68, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1017/cel.2016.1.

Korkea-aho, E. (2021a) “Legal Lobbyin: The Evolving (But Hidder) Role of Lawyers and Law Firms in the EU Public Affairs Market”, German Law Journal. Vol. 22(1), pp. 65–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2020.97.

Korkea-aho, E. (2021b) New Year, New Transparency Register?, Available at: https://www.eu-opengovernment.eu/?p=1235 (Access 25.12.2021).

Kurczewska, U. (2021) “The lobbying of cities in the European Union”, Sprawy Międzynarodowe. Vol. 74 (1), pp. 175–194, DOI: https://10.35757/SM.2021.74.1.03.

Law Firm Albert & Geiger (2021) Available at: https://albergeiger.com (Access 25.12.2021).

Obradovic, D. (2009) Regulating Lobbying in the European Union in Coen D. and Richardson J. (eds.) Lobbing the European Union: Institutions, Actors, and Issues. New York: Oxford University Press.

Oluwole, F. (2019) Getting Past the Lobby! The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALERT-EU) in Diler, D. and Richter, M. (eds.) Lobbying in the European Union. Cham: Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98800-9_21.

Secretariat of the Register (2021a) Annual Report on the operations of the Transparency Register 2020, 7 May. Available at: https://ec.europa.
eu/transparencyregister/public/staticPage/displayStaticPage.do?locale=en&reference=ANNUAL _REPORT (Access 25.12.2021).

Secretariat of the Register (2021b), Transparency Register Guidelines for Applicants and Registrants, 1 September, Available at: https://ec.europa.
eu/transparencyregister/public/staticPage/displayStaticPage.do?locale=en&reference=GUIDELINES (Access 25.12.2021).

Smismans, S. (2014) “Regulating Interest Group Participation in the EU: Changing Paradigms between Transparency and Representation”, European Law Review. Vol. 39(4), pp. 470–492. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?_id=2763464 (Access 25.12.2021)

Treaty on European Union (consolidated version) (2016) Official Journal C202, 7 June, pp. 13-46. Available at: http://data.europa.eu/eli/treaty/
teu_2016/oj (Access 25.12.2021).

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (consolidated version) (2016) Official Journal C202, 7 June, pp. 47–200. Available at: http://data.europa.eu/eli/treaty/tfeu_2016/oj (Access 25.12.2021).

Transparency Register (2021), Statistics. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do?redir=false&locale=en
(Access 25.12.2021).

Wiszowaty, M.M. (2018) Ocena tzw. raportu Giegolda na tle regulacji prawnej lobbingu w Unii Europejskiej in Grajewski, K., Szmyt, A. and Wiszowaty, M.M., W kręgu zagadnień parlamentarnych. Z doświadczeń Sejmu i Senatu RP oraz Parlamentu Europejskiego. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, pp. 79–112.

Wiszowaty, M.M. (2021) Lobbying in Cremades, J. and Hermida, C. (eds.) Encyclopedia of Contemporary Constitutionalism. Cham: Springer. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31739-7_82-1.

Quatremer, J. (2021) “Confl itsd’intérêts et trafi csd’influence au sommet de l’UE : des juges et commissaires à l’éthiqueen toc”, Libération, 1.12,
pp. 1–3, Available at: https://www.liberation.fr/international/europe/dans-les-hautes-spheres-de-lunion-europeenne-des-commissaires-etdes-juges-a-lethique-en-toc 2021120163AW5LPZPNE23NNCMADOXNSGEM/ (Access 25.12.2021)

Language: English

Pages: 31-46

How to Cite:

Harvard

Pierewoj, J. (2022) "Lobbying in the European Union and Interinstitutional Agreement on a Mandatory Transparency Register for Lobbyists". Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 1/2022, pp. 31-46. DOI: 10.33067/SE.1.2022.2

APA
Chicago