THERE were angry exchanges' yesterday between Socialist and Christian Democrat MEPs as the European Parliament failed to agree new rules on declaring their full financial interests and controlling lobbyists. The matters now go back to the Rules Committee for more discussion.
Mr Brian Crowley of Fianna Fail attacked the Socialist proposal, which calls for more transparency while allowing gifts from lobbyists up to £800 over a year not to be declared, as "sticking out the hand to accept a little bit behind". He said that there was already a register of MEPs' interests and there was no need to change the rules.
Other Irish MEPs such as Ms Bernie Malone of Labour and Ms Mary Banotti of Fine Gael Christian Democrats said later they had no problems with the proposed changes.
But the leader of the Socialist Group, Ms Pauline Green, denounced the Christian Democrats for sabotaging the proposal to make lobbyists declare any gifts to MEPs of more than £800.
Mr Glyn Ford, the British, Labour MEP who drew up the report for the control of lobbyists later accused the Christian Democrats of going back on an agreement to have gifts of more than £800 declared in a register open to the public.
The Socialist Group said that while waiting for the parliament to bring forward new proposals, it would publish a register of the interests of its own members.
A second set of proposals which would have obliged MEPs to go further than the existing rules of disclosure and list all their property in a register available to the public, was withdrawn by the rapporteur, the French Liberal, Jean Thomas Nordmann. He said that it was clear from the chaotic debate on the lobbying proposal that more time was now needed to reach agreement.
The four Fine Gael MEPs Ms Banotti, Mr John Cushnahan, Mr Alan Gillis and Mr Joe McCartin later issued a statement saying they favour "tightening and making more transparent the rules of the parliament on the activities of lobbyists and on the financial interests of members".