EU Code of Conduct

The Top EU Public Affairs Consultancies and Law Firms covered in BestinBrussels are bound by the Code of Conduct laid out below. Registrants are bound by a common code of conduct. Violations of the Code of Conduct are both investigated and sanctioned by the Joint Transparency Register Secretariat (JTRS), which is run jointly by Commission and of the Parliament. The Code of Conduct in Annex 3 of the 2014 Interinstitutional Agreement on the Transparency Register sets out the rules for all those who register and establishes the underlying principles for standards of behaviour in all relations with the EU institutions.

Code of Conduct

In their relations with EU institutions and their Members, officials and other staff, interest representatives shall:

(a) always identify themselves by name and, by registration number, if applicable, and by the entity or entities they work for or represent; declare the interests, objectives or aims they promote and, where applicable, specify the clients or members whom they represent;

(b) not obtain or try to obtain information or decisions dishonestly or by use of undue pressure or inappropriate behaviour;

(c) not claim any formal relationship with the European Union or any of its institutions in their dealings with third parties, or misrepresent the effect of registration in such a way as to mislead third parties or officials or other staff of the European Union, or use the logos of EU institutions without express authorisation;

(d) ensure that, to the best of their knowledge, information, which they provide upon registration, and subsequently in the framework of their activities covered by the Register, is complete, up-to-date and not misleading; accept that all information provided is subject to review and agree to co-operate with administrative requests for complementary information and updates;

(e) not sell to third parties copies of documents obtained from EU institutions;

(f) in general, respect, and avoid any obstruction to the implementation and application of, all rules, codes and good governance practices established by EU institutions;

(g) not induce Members of the institutions of the European Union, officials or other staff of the European Union, or assistants or trainees of those Members, to contravene the rules and standards of behaviour applicable to them;

(h) if employing former officials or other staff of the European Union, or assistants or trainees of Members of EU institutions, respect the obligation of such employees to abide by the rules and confidentiality requirements which apply to them;

(i) obtain the prior consent of the Member or Members of the European Parliament concerned as regards any contractual relationship with, or employment of, any individual within a Member’s designated entourage;

(j) observe any rules laid down on the rights and responsibilities of former Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission;

(k) inform whomever they represent of their obligations towards the EU institutions.
Individuals who have registered with the European Parliament with a view to being issued with a personal, non-transferable pass affording access to the European Parliament’s premises shall:

(l) ensure that they wear the access pass visibly at all times in European Parliament premises;

(m) comply strictly with the relevant European Parliament Rules of Procedure;

(n) accept that any decision on a request for access to the European Parliament’s premises is the sole prerogative of the Parliament and that registration shall not confer an automatic entitlement to an access pass.”

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