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12:48 GMT
BRUSSELS, Oct 9, (KUNA) -- The European Parliament (EP) announced on
Tuesday that at present it has 4,570 accredited lobbyists, many of which are
NGOs and pressure groups such as amnesty international.
Trade associations, regions, cities and companies (for example British
Airways) constitute the rest, according to an EP statement.
The EP is currently preparing a report on how EU institutions should deal
with lobbyists, whereas it currently owns a "Code of Conduct" that says that
lobbyists must clearly state who they represent when dealing with Members of
the European Parliament and staff and refrain from offering any gifts.
Early in 2007, the European Commission decided to set up a voluntary
register, where lobbyists declare who they are and how they are funded.
Part of the problem is that there are no reliable figures on the number of
lobbyists who work in Brussels. Estimates vary from between 15,000 to 20,000
people who are employed in that way, noted the EP statement. (end)
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