THE EU TRANSPARENCY REGISTER AND THINK TANKS

The EU Transparency Register clearly states that ‘Think-Tanks and Research Institutions’ dealing with the activities and policies of the European Union must register.

Put simply, a think-tank usually conducts in-depth research into a particular/issue or cause, preferably coming up with some new ideas as well as create specific policy recommendations regarding the issue based on it’s in-depth research, to Government, Business, Trade associations, Unions etc.

A think-tank is different from a lobbying organization, in its mandate. Unlike that of a think-tank, a lobbying organization’s mandate is to influence a policy outcome for a particular interest group. A think-tank’s mandate is merely to create innovative policies and hope to influence the policy outcome.

Many think tanks argue that educating politicians is distinct from lobbying them, and do not want to be associated with lobbying. Think tanks in Europe are quick to point out that they are not lobbies and that to assimilate them with lobbies is damageable to a type of organization that is essential to feed the institutions and decision makers of the EU with analysis and political proposals. Think tanks argue and rightly so that the scope of activities covered in the Transparency Register as including all activities carried out with the objective of influencing the policy formulation and decision-making processes of the EU institutions is just too broad.

Indeed, they say, influencing activities is so large and covers so many organizations that it is hardly operational be it for the lobbies, the think tanks and also for any other form of dialogue with the EU institutions be it the member states themselves or isolated individuals who participate in the process as well as other organizations within the operational environment of the European Commission.

If think tanks and lobbies have in common a dialogue with political decision-makers, the nature of the think tanks’ activities are fundamentally different. Lobbying can be defined as the efforts undertaken to influence public decisions either by seeking to change the policies and prepared legislations and implementation by public authorities or in attempting to resist to such changes on behalf of a particular interest or a group of individuals (economic sector, geographic entity, type of person).

By contrast a think tank specializes in the production of public policy solutions thanks to a staff dedicated to research. It provides an original production of thinking, analysis and advice that has for vocation to be communicated to decision-makers and public opinion. It is not tasked to accomplish governmental missions. It attempts generally speaking to maintain its intellectual autonomy and not to be linked to specific interests. Finally its work explicit or implicit has for ambition a certain concept of the public good by contrast to commercial and/or for profit organisations.

Think tanks want to be clearly distinguished from lobbies and are calling for more precise definitions regarding the vast influence activities covered in the Transparency Register.