The first report on the operations of the Transparency Register put in place by the Commission and the European Parliament with the support of the Council, shows a positive balance. According to the report the objectives set for its first year of operation have been met. Given these positive results both institutions will work on new objectives and the development of platform towards 2013.

The report on the operations of the Transparency Register shows that the transition from the previous record systems to the new system has proceeded smoothly. According to the report, over the first year of operation the new module to request accreditation to the European Parliament has been put in place, three sets of guidelines have been published, the Council has appointed observers to the Joint Secretariat of the transparency register and a new methodology has been developed to carry out the appropriate controls.

Given the successful implementation of the objectives set forth at the launch of the Transparency Register in June 2011, the operational report raises a number of actions to be developed in the future. Among these developments are the improvement of the Transparency Registry website and the increase in the number of entries by improving the communication and external information. The report also suggest to widen the use of the registry both within the Commission and the Parliament as well as to the rest of institutions, agencies and EU bodies.

The report proposes to provide clarification and precise instructions about the information that must be included in the registry and envisages the possibility for the registration to be mandatory. It also raises the possibility for a specific formula designed for legal firms and counselling firm that would like to register but face specific confidentiality requirements with their clients.

Over the past year several controls over the register have been put in place and it has handled five complaints, one of which resulted in the removal of an organization from the register. By late October 2012 there were 5431 entries in the Register of Transparency, of which almost half were internal representatives of interests and professional groups and up to a quarter of them were NGOs.