One third of new Spanish MEPs have committed to increasing transparency and controlling lobbying in Brussels

Madrid, 26 May 2014 – One third (31%) of the newly-elected Spanish MEPs have already committed to promoting transparency and regulating lobbying in Brussels, the result of a pre-election pledge campaign run in Spain by Access Info Europe. In advance of the elections, 13 of the 54 new MEPs (24%) signed a pledge to “stand up for citizens and democracy against the excessive lobbying influence of banks and big business.”A further 4 candidates did not sign the pledge but had lobbying regulation and transparency in their election manifesto.

Elected Candidates Who Signed the Politics for People Pledge, by Party:

› PSOE (Socialist Party): 6
› Izquierda Unida (United Left): 5
› L’Esquerra pel Dret a Decidir (Left for the Right to Decide): 1
› Primavera Europea (European Spring): 1
+Union Progreso y Democracia (Union, Progress and Democracy): 4

“The need for stronger control of lobbying and increased transparency of European Union institutions are priorities for the new MEPs from Spain, a country which has been badly hit by the financial crisis,” said Helen Darbishire, Executive Director of Access Info Europe.

In the pre-election period, a total of 130 candidates from Spain signed the pledge commitment; of these 10% were elected.