Lib Dems/Labour in EP: no immediate plans to collectively publish meeting details
Twenty five British Conservatives in the European Parliament had published their first six-monthly update of their meetings with lobbyists – their so-called ‘Lobbying Contacts Report’.
The Lib Dems have 12 MEPs and Labour has 13 MEPs. Public Affairs Newscontacted both parties to ask if they will copy the Tories.
A Labour spokesperson responded: “At present Labour MEPs do not collectively publish all their lobbying contacts in this way. However, they are interested in exploring innovative ways of improving transparency in the European Parliament, including the publication of legislative footprints in relation to EU legislation. Labour MEPs also ensure that their declarations of interests are regularly updated so that there can be no accusations of conflict of interest in relation to their work.”
The Lib Dem picture appears to be individal-led: anyone seeking to find out details on the party’s 12 MEPs’ lobbyist meetings must visit each MEP’s personal website and see if the information can be found.
Fittingly, the Lib Dems’ Diana Wallis MEP – vice-president for transparency in the EP – provides details of lobbyist meetings on her website, updated at least monthly.
A Lib Dem spokesperson told PAN that a new website for the delegation was due to launch by the end of July with a section on transparency, and said that “on request, Lib Dem MEPs are happy to disclose the meetings they have held with lobbyists and interest representatives relevant to any particular legislative issue”.
The spokesperson added: “From a transparency point of view, only Lib Dem MEPs currently make available receipts for expenditure over £25 from their General Expenditure Allowances (GEA) – either in their individual websites, or on request in their constituency offices.”