Dear Friends: we are seeking signatures of an open letter on transparency of lobbying in France.
Context: The French government is currently considering a law on transparency of lobbying which is not yet strong enough, and which is overseen by body which does not have sufficient powers. A key demand is to have a mandatory register of lobbyists, the same thing we are calling for at the EU level and in other countries. Deadline: as soon as possible. Please send signatures to me (he...@access-info.org) and to my colleague Elena Arrontes (el...@access-info.org). You can also add your signatures directly here: http://lite.framapad.org/p/ZQKB4Mmst8 Thanks in advance / merci davance, Helen ____________________________________________________________________________ ___________ French Transparency Law: its time to regulate lobbying Paris, 17 June 2013 - The undersigned individuals, associations, and journalists, call on the French government and parliament to take the necessary steps to guarantee greater transparency of lobbying activities. France has been rocked by a series of corruption and lobbying scandals recently which have lead to calls for tighter regulation of lobbying. The scandals include the affaire Cahuzac in which former Budget Minister Jérôme Cahuzac has been charged with tax fraud over a secret bank account [1], revelations about how French pharmaceutical company Servier conducted lobbying over a weight loss drug alleged to have caused as many as 2,000 deaths [2], and exposures of close links between members of the Parliamentarians Havana Cigar Fan Club and lobbyists from the British American Tobacco company [3]. The Laws Commission of the French Parliament (Assemblée nationale) has delegated the task of defining the guidelines for relations with interest groups to the future High Authority for Transparency. This is a first step, but the government and parliament should now seize this chance to require lobbying transparency and respect for ethical rules. French decision makers seem to share this position: in a recent poll by TNS-Sofres [4], the majority of decision makers surveyed believed that private sector lobbying is not sufficiently transparent and supported the creation of a mandatory register of lobbyists. We call for the High Authority for Transparency to be charged with: - Developing a Code of Conduct which applies to all persons trying to influence public decision making; - Publishing a register in which all lobbyists will be required to register and to declare annually their activities and expenditures. It requires a simple amendment, inspired by the provisions adopted in Quebec [5], which civil society has proposed to parliamentarians [6], to achieve these objectives. We call on the parliament to take action and to endow the High Authority for Transparency with these powers. In the development of public decisions, all members of society should have their views taken into account on an equal basis. To ensure that this happens, the interaction between elected representatives and interest groups should be carried out in an ethical and transparent manner. It is high time that France imposes these requirements on lobby groups. Signatures to date: Access Info Europe Friends of the Earth, France Anticor L'Association Internationale de Techniciens, Experts et Chercheurs (AITEC) Corporate Europe Observatory Club JADE Formindep Irène Frachon Sylvie Gilman Stéphane Horel Pierre Meneton Annick Redolfi Regards Citoyens Smartgov Voxe.org _________________________ Helen Darbishire, Executive Director Access Info Europe, <http://www.access-info.org/> www.access-info.org mobile tel: + 34 667 685 319 Skype: helen_darbishire Twitter: @Access_Info, @helen_access Have you asked the EU yet? <http://www.asktheeu.org> www.asktheeu.org
