The tree, planted since 2001 next to one of the most discreet entrances to the European Parliament and donated to the European Parliament by some lobby associations, appears somewhat stunted. However, the picture does not do justice to the strength of this power, which is almost always in the shadows but can be felt in every corner of Brussels, considered the lobbying capital of Europe and the second largest in the world after Washington.
Almost a year ago, the Qatargate scandal surrounding the alleged bribery of MEPs to influence the interests of countries such as Qatar and Morocco provoked the promise of an in-depth review of the practices and transparency standards of the numerous lobbying organizations that operate in the Belgian capital . Despite some changes already implemented (less than those demanded by the NGOs that monitor the lobbies) that came into force at the beginning of November, a few weeks later several MEPs denounced the intense lobbying, bordering on harassment, that they had to suffer The eve of an important vote to reduce packaging waste, a regulation that has put much of this sector and the fast food industry in a state of war.
Lobbyists assure us that it was not a tougher election campaign than others that European lawmakers should be used to. But the practices used – lobbyists hung 1,500 posters on the doors of parliamentary offices in one night, which were also intercepted in corridors, after meetings or even in the bar of the European Parliament – made it clear that the powerful branch of the lobby (despite its stunted symbolic tree) is still very robust. And that there is at least much left to discuss and review in relation to legal practice, but that at least in some cases it exceeds the limits of decency, if not legal, then at least those of decency, as the Italian parliamentarian Maria-Angela Danzì said. , who officially complained to the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
A battalion loots the parliament
According to Transparency International, at least 48,000 people in Brussels work in organizations that want to influence European institutions and their decisions. Almost 7,700 have access to the European Parliament, the main attraction of the Brussels lobby. According to TI, the EU institutions have a transparency register in which almost 12,000 organizations with a budget of 1.8 billion euros are registered. Other organizations that monitor lobbying even take “tours” through the streets around the European Parliament, where the names of powerful law firms and the world’s largest companies and corporations can be seen in nondescript office buildings.
Nobody doubts the importance of lobbying, which is also actively pursued by many NGOs. In fact, it is even enshrined in the EU Treaty, which states in Article 11 that “the institutions shall give citizens and representative associations, through appropriate channels, the opportunity to express and exchange their views publicly in all areas of the Union” and “will maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society.”
But since Qatargate at the latest, sensitivities have been on the surface.
The new rules now in force stipulate, among other things, that only lobbyists registered in the transparency register can request access to the European Parliament, a space in which they are prohibited from approaching MEPs dishonestly and, above all, without full prior identification. . MPs, in turn, are recommended to only meet with lobbyists who have registered in the transparency register and make such meetings public. The revolving doors were also reinforced. But not enough, complains TI, which also regrets that the requirements for contacts with representatives of interest groups are only recommendations and not obligations, or that the staff overseeing these practices is clearly insufficient: a dozen people to verify that thousands are registered by people People in the transparency register have correctly disclosed their data and are the people they claim to be.
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