mr president i speak as the rapporteur on the public access to documents regulation no ten forty-nine two thousand and one and in the spirit of the openness and transparency enshrined within that regulation i welcome this agreement
it is another step in the right direction because openness and transparency are at the heart of the democratic decision-making process and we should be made aware of all of those who influence and sometimes have an undue influence on policy procedures and outcomes
however we need to do more work we need to ensure that the transparency and integrity of the work of lobbyists at the eu level is of the highest
furthermore we need to make the new register operational as quickly as possible and as soon as the register is operational all persons and organisations falling into its scope should provide correct up-to-date information so we can see who is influencing what
finally let me quote jana mittermaier of transparency international the new register will be a test of the commitment of all parties involved in lobbying to greater openness
you could not say it more succinctly
