Members of the European Parliament will at last be able to declare who they have been in contact with when preparing their parliamentary reports. At the initiative of French socialist MEP Sylvie Guillaume, the measure was finally approved by the Parliament's Bureau on the 12 September, after years of discussions.
MEPs will be able to record the 'legislative footprint' of their reports and opinions, no matter which parliamentary committees they belong to. The new step will be voluntary and will be the responsibility of the rapporteur themselves. The 'footprint' document will consist of a form attached to draft reports and opinions, for both legislative and non-legislative files. Until now, no common format has been agreed by the European Parliament.
Sylvie Guillaume, the S&D MEP and vice-president responsible for the transparency register who led the discussions to reach this agreement, said:
"It's about adding value: this document will allow greater transparency about who is influencing – or seeking to influence – the legislative process.
"As we await the European Commission's proposal for an inter-institutional agreement on the transparency register, this step underlines that the 'legislative footprint' is an indispensable addition. This is real progress, especially when we remember that – apart from Latvia and Poland – no other member state has adopted a similar measure so far."
S&D co-ordinator on AFCO, Mercedes Bresso MEP, said:
"The legislative footprint is very welcome and a positive step for a more transparent Parliament."
S&D spokesperson on this issue, Jo Leinen MEP, added:
"The introduction of the legislative footprint will greatly improve transparency by disclosing who has been consulted in the legislative process. We will continue to strive for enhanced transparency in the whole EU decision-making process."
