The EBPS office is outside the public eye.
Censorship in the European Parliament! - The European Business and Parliament Scheme
Friday, 2 May 2008
Following the story on the alleged lobbying office recently found within the European Parliament on April 30, EUD President Jens-Peter Bonde decided to pay a visit to the European Business and Parliament Scheme (EBPS). After all, the opportunity to test the transparency of the scheme was not to be missed. EUD fell short of expectations when the scheme’s representatives denied us the right to take a picture of their premises. Censorship manifested itself at the heart of European Union –the perpetrators: employees of a scheme that builds up its legitimacy claims on unsteady arguments.
As the discovery of the EBPS office created quite a stir in the media, we interviewed some of their staff. One EBPS member seemed rather disturbed and told us, “You are taking too much of our precious time”.
They drew the transparency line when Mr. Bonde asked if we could take a picture of the office. “What do you need it for?” was the suspicious question. Our answer, “to show EU citizens how your office looks like”, did not suffice. We were simply not allowed. Is office furniture paid with EU funds a secret? What is the reason behind this? Could it be that they don’t want to reveal their operations to other companies and lobbying firms that didn’t take advantage of the scheme? Or, maybe, they refused a group leader a legitimate request because they are too well aware how covert was the setting up of the office in the first place?
The Scheme and its activities
We can at least tell you what the office does or claim it does. The EBPS organizes educational 2-day programmes for interested MEPs or MEP’s staff within certain companies and businesses. The scope of this is meant as a chance for the European Union’s legislators to better understand the fields they are legislating on, while the businesses themselves supposedly gain a ‘better understanding’ on the European Parliament.
So far 10 programmes have been conducted, with MEPs from PES, ALDE and EPP. The EBPS staff told us that one of their major concerns is trying to get involved as many companies as possible –at the moment they only have 3 small companies besides big players like ENEL or Gas de France (there is of course a fee that has to be paid).
Not lobbying?
“This is not lobbying, our code of principles clearly states so” was one of their main arguments. Indeed, so it is written on their website. However, should we take their word for it? When asked whose perspective the MEPs become aware of when getting involved with this scheme, their answer was, “well, that of the company that they visit”. Remember: the programmes involve visiting one company, just one, in a given area of interest.
The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary definition of the word ‘lobbying’ is the following: “to conduct activities aimed at influencing public officials and especially members of a legislative body on legislation”. Now, putting the pieces together it is obvious that companies use the EBPS to express their interests to MEPs by making them see the world from their own perspective.
It is a simple logical conclusion that the activity of the EBPS is, after all, lobbying, albeit under cover. It is surprising they bothered to censor our desire to take pictures when they did not even set their story right.
An objective approach would have involved giving the interested MEPs the chance to understand the workings of a field or market, not just through the eyes of the company. Though there might be good intentions at the core of the scheme, a road paved with good intentions does not necessarily go to the desired place.
What happens now?
The future of the EBPS is rather uncertain. The smiling staff told us they are to be revised -but at the moment “not removed” from their office in the European Parliament.