E-015527/2015

Subject: Commission meetings with lobbyists from the tobacco industry (follow up to Question for written answer P‐ 013537/15)

In follow-up to the reply provided by the Commission to Question for written answer P-013537/15 regarding its meetings with lobbyists from the tobacco industry, the Commission is asked to answer the following:
—Can it clarify whether the publicly accessible lists of its meetings with tobacco industry lobbyists include out-of-office meetings, such as long phone calls, video conferences and informal events?
—Can it provide an estimated date when the finalised response to the Ombudsman, as referred to in the reply to Question P-013537/15, will be made available to the public?

Answer given by First Vice-President Timmermans on behalf of the Commission (22.3.2016)

On 29 January 2016, the Commission has replied to the European Ombudsman concerning case 852/2014. For further information, the Honourable Member is referred to written question E-000304/2016 (1).

Regarding the meetings with the tobacco industry, at Commission level those are governed by the Commission’s horizontal rules on transparency. The proactive publication of information on meetings held by Commissioners, their cabinet members and heads of departments with organisations or self-employed individuals implemented since 1 December 2014 (2) constitutes an important element of the wider Commission transparency policy. As defined in Article 2 of the Decisions, “meeting” means a bilateral encounter to discuss an issue related to policy-making and implementation in the Union. Encounters of a purely private or social character or spontaneous encounters are excluded from this notion, as are encounters in the context of an administrative procedure established by the Treaties or Union acts. The venue of such encounters is indicated in the publicly accessible list and is irrelevant for the definition of meeting. Phone calls and public events are not classified as “bilateral encounters”. Video-conferences are to be considered as meetings, provided that they fulfil the definition of “meeting” mentioned above.

(1) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/en/parliamentary-questions.html
(2) Commission Decision of 25.11.2014 on the publication of information on meetings held between Directors-General of the Commission and organisations or self-employed individuals, OJ L 343/25 and
Commission Decision of 25.11.2014 on the publication of information on meetings held between Members of the Commission and organisations or self-employed individuals, OJ L 343/15

E-015527/2015
Suġġett: Il-laqgħat tal-Kummissjoni mal-lobbisti mill-industrija tat-tabakk (segwitu għall-Mistoqsija għat-tweġiba bil-miktub P-013537/15)

Fis-segwitu għar-risposta li pprovidiet il-Kummissjoni għall-Mistoqsija għat-tweġiba bil-miktub P-013537/15 dwar il-laqgħat tagħha ma’ lobbisti mill-industrija tat-tabakk, il-Kummissjoni hi mitluba tirrispondi dan li ġej:
—Tista’ tikkjarifika jekk il-listi, aċċessibbli pubblikament, tal-laqgħat tagħha ma’ lobbisti mill-industrija tat-tabakk jinkludux laqgħat barra l-uffiċċju, bħalma huma telefonati twal, vidjokonferenzi u avvenimenti informali?
—Tista’ tipprovdi data mbassra meta r-risposta finalizzata lill-Ombudsman, hekk kif issir riferenza għaliha fil-Mistoqsija P-013537/15, ser tkun disponibbli għall-pubbliku?

MT

Fid-29 ta’ Jannar 2016, il-Kummissjoni wieġbet lill-Ombudsman Ewropew dwar il-Każ 852/2014. Għal aktar tagħrif, nirreferi lill-Onorevoli Membru għall-mistoqsija bil-miktub E-000304/2016 (1).

Rigward il-laqgħat mal-industrija tat-tabakk, fil-livell tal-Kummissjoni dawn huma rregolati mir-regoli orizzontali tal-Kummissjoni dwar it-trasparenza. Il-pubblikazzjoni proattiva ta’ informazzjoni dwar il-laqgħat li saru mill-Kummissarji, mill-membri tal-kabinett tagħhom u l-kapijiet ta’ dipartimenti ma’ organizzazzjonijiet jew individwi li ġiet implimentata sa mill-1 ta’ Diċembru 2014 (2) tikkostitwixxi element importanti tal-politika usa ta’ trasparenza tal-Kummissjoni. Kif definit fl-Artikolu 2 tad-Deċiżjonijiet, “laqgħa” tfisser inkontru bilaterali biex tkun diskussa kwistjoni marbuta mat-teħid u l-implimentazzjoni ta’ politika fl-Unjoni. Inkontri ta’ tip purament privat jew soċjali jew inkontri spontanji huma esklużi minn dan il-kunċett, bħalma huma inkontri fil-kuntest ta’ proċedura amministrattiva stabbilita mit-Trattati jew minn atti tal-Unjoni. Il-post ta’ tali laqgħat hu indikat f’lista aċċessibbli għall-pubbliku u huwa irrilevanti għad-definizzjoni ta’ laqgħa. It-telefonati u avvenimenti pubbliċi mhumiex ikklassifikati bħala “inkontri bilaterali”. Konferenzi bil-vidjow għandhom jiġu kkunsidrati bħala laqgħat, sakemm dawn jissodisfaw id-definizzjoni ta’ “laqgħa” msemmija hawn fuq.

(3) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/mt/parliamentary-questions.html
(4) Id-Deċiżjoni tal-Kummissjoni tal-25.11.2014 dwar il-pubblikazzjoni ta’ informazzjoni dwar laqgħat li jsiru bejn id-Direttorati Ġenerali tal-Kummissjoni u organizzazzjonijiet jew persuni impjegati għal rashom, ĠU L 343/25 u d-Deċiżjoni tal-Kummissjoni tal-25.11.2014 dwar il-pubblikazzjoni ta’ informazzjoni dwar laqgħat li jsiru bejn il-Membri tal-Kummissjoni u organizzazzjonijiet jew persuni impjegati għal rashom, ĠU L 343/15

Facebook Comments

Post a comment