Today the Italian government presented the new transparency plan that will require the senior members of the Italian Permanent Representation only to meet with lobbyists registered in the EU Transparency register.
“Italy joins a handful of member states, such as Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, and Finland, that subject themselves to the transparency register. While all these countries have been embracing such a higher standard when holding the rotating presidency of the Council, Italy is the first that subjects itself to such a higher standard regardless. As the negotiations of the Inter-Institutional Agreement on the mandatory Transparency register are about to resume, this development might be a major game-changer in the forthcoming talks”, Professor Alberto Alemanno, founder of The Good Lobby.
“We are pleased that the government and the Permanent Representation have listened to the call for transparency from civil society and set a new precedent. The Good Lobby will now continue to fight in Italy to make public decisions more open, transparent and fair, allowing as many actors as possible to know and engage with the government on EU affairs.” Federico Anghelé, director of The Good Lobby in Italy.
Today is a great win for transparency in Europe. This was achieved through a constructive dialogue between civil society, represented by The Good Lobby, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has deemed the solicitation of The Good Lobby appropriate and started a process that will make Italy the 5th Member State that self-regulates the relationship between its Permanent Representation and lobbyists. By making the meetings of Permanent Representation’s delegates public, this provision makes Italy the country with the highest transparency standard in the European Council. Will this become the new standard across the EU? That’s what The Good Lobby is committed to and strives for.