Madrid, 22 January 2016 – Access Info Europe has outlined key actions that will help to increase transparency of EU decision-making and lobbying, in its submission as part of a consultation on civil society priority areas held by the Green/EFA Group.
The pro-transparency organisation called upon the Greens to push EU institutions towards the proactive publication of information such as agendas, minutes, and participants of meetings between EU public officials and lobbyists.
Access Info Europe also called for the currently-secret interinstitutional “trialogue” meetings to be made public, as part of an agenda to open up lobbying activities and decision-making processes in the EU.
“It is still remarkably hard to find out how decisions that ultimately affect the daily lives of EU citizens are taken, by whom, and based on which evidence,” stated Andreas Pavlou, Campaigner and Researcher at Access Info Europe.
“With around 85% of EU laws agreed in first reading, during which trialogue negotiations between the EU institutions play an important part, it is ever more important that this otherwise secret mechanism be opened up to public scrutiny and democratic oversight,” added Andreas.
Access Info Europe also strongly recommended that the Green/EFA Group base recommendations on reform of the EU rules on lobbying regulation and transparency on The International Standards on Lobbying Regulation.
The Lobby Standards recommend the creation of a mandatory lobby register, detailed legislative footprints, and extensive proactive publication of such information. In their agenda for the consultation, the Greens also appeared to support such mechanisms to increase and promote decision-making and lobbying transparency.
The submission was presented as part of a consultation with NGOs by the Green/EFA Group in Brussels on 13 January 2016.
You can read a copy of the submission here: 
For more information, please contact:
Andreas Pavlou | Access Info Europe
Send an e-mail or call +34 913 656 558
Photo: Greens/EFA Group CC BY 2.0