European watchdogs seek U.S. advice on lobbying law

European public interest groups are in Washington this week seeking advice on how best to toughen their own lobbying laws back home.

Six representatives from European watchdog organizations have met with Capitol Hill aides and outside ethics experts who were instrumental in passing the new ethics and lobbying law that Congress adopted last year.

{mosads}“We are looking for hands-on experience. You have a very well-developed disclosure system. In Europe, we have nothing,” said Erik Wesselius of the Corporate Europe Observatory, awatchdog group based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

In response to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal in the United States, the European Commission (EC) did create a new registry for lobbyists working in Brussels, Belgium, in the hope that it would push the influence industry more into the public view. But registration is voluntary.

European watchdogs say the effect has been that the registry underreports the scope of the lobbying industry’s influence. They are asking Washington officials how to put more pressure on European authorities back home to toughen the ethics law and increase transparency.

In contrast to their European counterparts, American lobbyists are required to disclose their clients and the issues they are lobbying on to the public. Under the new ethics law, violators now face tough criminal penalties for failing to comply.

In Brussels, however, several major law firms with wealthy lobbying practices have not disclosed their clients in the new registry, according to the watchdogs. In addition, they contend the accuracy of lobbying fees that have been reported by consulting groups varies wildly.

A European Commission spokesman indicated the lobbying registry could end up being just a first step in adding transparency to lobbying in Brussels.

“It is early days. The call for the voluntary registry is relatively recent,” said Anthony Smallwood, a spokesman for the Washington delegation of the European Commission. “We are coming to terms with a fairly large lobbying sector.”

As the seat of power for the European Union, Brussels has grown into a lobbying hub that could soon rival Washington. In fact, several prominent Washington firms, such as Dutko Worldwide and Burson-Marsteller, also have offices in Brussels.

Another complaint European watchdogs have is that the EU does not have a uniform system of disclosure for lobbyists across various governmental offices. The European Parliament requires lobbyists to sign a public list for an access-badge. But the rule does not force them to disclose their clients. The EC’s registry does require lobbyists to list for whom they are working.

The EC runs the EU’s daily operations. EC proposals must be approved by the European Parliament and the European Council to become law.

The delegation of European watchdogs has met with a number of Capitol Hill aides who were fundamental in passing the new ethics law. They have talked with Bob Schiff, chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee for Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), and Ron Weich, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

In addition, they have scheduled meetings with several different public interest organizations, such as the Campaign Legal Center, the Center for Responsive Politics and Democracy 21, among others. The EU watchdogs are also meeting with Pam Gavin, superintendent of the Senate Office of Public Records, which maintains the U.S. lobbying disclosure database.

“They have made real progress so far, but they have work ahead of them. It took us 30 years here in the United States to get a strong lobbying disclosure law,” said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21.