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Sometimes no news is not good news – and this is certainly the case as far as Europe 2020 – the European Union’s proposal for a new overarching strategy is concerned.

Sixty per cent of EU lobbying consultancies boycott lobby transparency register Almost two years after the European Commission launched a voluntary lobby transparency register, sixty per cent of EU lobbying consultancies are still not registered, a survey published today by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) reveals. The coalition has called on EU officials, including the responsible Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, and MEPs to refuse to meet with groups which have not signed the register.

Twenty months after the launch of the Commission's voluntary lobbying register, less than 40 percent of Brussels-based lobby consultancies have signed up, according to a new survey from the transparency alliance ALTER-EU.

The Portuguese weekly Expresso reports that the Portuguese government is about to hire lobby consultancy firm Kreab & Gavin Anderson (KGA) to lobby on its behalf. Expresso writes that KGA will advice the government on the PR strategy for its Stability and Growth Pact, a new austerity program of welfare cuts and privatisations aimed to bring the country's deficits within EU limits.

Corporate Europe Observatory has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman asking him to investigate how the former chair of the Parliament, Pat Cox’s conflicts of interests were assessed by the European Commission before his appointment and then re-appointment (2007 - 2009) as a Special Adviser to the out-going Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva.

The new European Commission (Barroso-II) took office on 10 February. Just seven dayslater insurance giant Munich Re announced that they had headhunted the out-going EU Commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner (2004-2010).