The European Commission is to draw up a code of conduct for its
officials when dealing with lobbyists and representatives of other
private and public organisations. The code will in part be based on one
adopted by the European Parliament and Brussels-based lobbyists. Over 90
lobbyists have signed up to the code, via two separate associations. The
first, co-ordinated by Maria Laptev, division manager at Charles Barker,
represents organisations including lobbying agencies, in-house public
affairs teams and trade associations.
The second association, the Society of European Affairs Practitioners,
is co-ordinated by Catherine Stewart, founder of lobbying agency Cabinet
Stewart, and represents individuals working in public affairs.
