Governance and citizenship

The EU institutions have agreed to no longer require local and regional governments and their associations to be included in the official lobby register. The EU is thus recognising our legitimacy in policy-making and that we should not be put on the same level as the private sector. Local governments and their associations from outside the EU may still be required to be in the register.

Once the updated rules take effect, CEMR, national associations of local governments and their members will no longer need to sign up to the Transparency Register if they wish to discuss with new EU laws that they must deliver on the ground.  

Next steps

The three institutions (Commission, Parliament and Council) still need to sign the Interinstitutional agreement and the joint political statement accompanying it. The texts will then be published in the EU Official Journal and are expected to entry into force in early July.

Background

The Commission presented its proposal for a new Interinstitutional agreement on a mandatory Transparency Register for interest representatives covering the Parliament, the Council and the Commission in 2016. Since 2011, the Parliament and the Commission have jointly operated a public register for interest representatives.