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Over 17,100 people call for an end to secrecy around trilogue negotiations
This morning campaigners from lobby watchdogs Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl handed in a petition with over 17,100 signatures to European Parliament Vice President Katarina Barley (SPD), calling for an end to secrecy around trilogue negotiations. Addressed to the Presidents of the EU institutions, the petition calls for an end to the practice of holding “trilogue” meetings between the three institutions in secret, and for key negotiating documents to be made public.
In July the European Ombudsman called on the European Parliament to proactively publish the so-called four-column documents of the EU’s trilogue meetings. This decision by the Ombudsman followed a complaint by CEO, LobbyControl, SOMO and FragDenStaat.
Bram Vranken, campaigner at Corporate Europe Observatory says:
“The trilogues are infamous for their secrecy and opaqueness. The only ones who benefit from that lack of transparency are well-connected and well-funded lobbyists as we are seeing now with the negotiations on the EU AI Act. It is time to open the black box of trilogue negotiations.”
Felix Duffy, campaigner at LobbyControl says:
“We as citizens have a right to know what happens during these negotiations. Access to trilogue documents should not be deliberately delayed. The EU institutions must act now to ensure that newly drafted 'four-column' documents are published quickly and proactively so that everyone can scrutinise the legislative process.”
Trilogue negotiations between the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the member states are one of the most crucial steps in EU decision-making. Despite the far-reaching consequences for the entire population, these negotiations take place behind closed doors.
Guaranteeing transparency over trilogue negotiations would limit the power of corporate lobbyists in shaping EU decision-making processes over issues such as the regulation of artificial intelligence or ensuring compliance with human rights and environmental protection in supply chains.
You can see photos of the action here,
ENDS
For more information contact:
Bram Vranken, Corporate Europe Observatory: bram@corporateeurope.org, +32 (0) 497 13 14 64
Kathrin Anhold, LobbyControl: presse@lobbycontrol.de, +49 (0) 30/ 4 67 26 72 11
Notes to the editor:
- In 2022 more than 40 NGOs and trade unions asked EU policy-makers to make urgent improvements to the transparency of the trilogue negotiations on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA).
- The petition signed by over 17,100 people can be found here.
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