Table ronde sur la politique d’information de la Banque Européenne d’Investissement organisée par CEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the Earth Europe avec le soutien de Global Transparency Initiative et Alain Lipietz, Député européen, Les Verts [1].
On May 19 this year, the European Investment Bank launched an official revision process of its Public Information policy. The main driving force behind the review is the new
Community regulation on application of the Aarhus convention [2] to EU institutions and bodies, as well as civil society pressure on the EIB for changes in this policy.
This is the first such occasion for the EIB where an official consultation process has been announced and is
thus a great opportunity to propose significant changes in the EIB’s information policy.
In the European Parliament’s ‘activity report for 2003 of the European Investment Bank’, the Parliament stated its intention “[...] to participate actively in the consultation procedure envisaged [...] in connection with the implementation of the UN Convention on Access to
Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention)”, and stressed “[...] the importance of taking
into account the requests made, in the course of this consultation procedure, by the institutions and the NGOs”.
The planned roundtable aims at bringing together members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European Commission, NGO representatives with a keen interest in the EIB and transparency issues generally, as well as representatives of the EIB itself to
exchange views on : the EIB’s draft Information Disclosure Policy, current access to information legislation, the practice of other international financial institutions, the
European Parliament’s views on the policy, the NGO position on access to information and, overall, the extent of the changes required to be introduced in the EIB’s new information policy.
The roundtable will be hosted by the rapporteur of the Parliamentary report on the EIB - Alain Lipietz - and co-organised by CEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the Earth Europe and Global Transparency Initiative.
9.30-9.35 Welcome speech by the organizers
9.35-10.00 European Parliament’s view on the EIB information policy - Alain Lipietz, MEP, The Greens/EFA
10.00-10.30 Presentation of the EIB’s Public Information Policy revision process Q&A; Rémi Jacob, European Investment Bank.
10.30-11.15 EIB Information Policy in the context of Transparency standards and in comparison to other international financial institutions, Q&A, Toby Mendel,
Article 19, Toby McIntosh - FreedomInfo
11.15-11.35 EIB Information policy in light of the EU regulation on access to documents from the EU institutions (in making) ; Q&A, DG Environment
11.35-12.00 NGO proposal on the EIB Information Disclosure Policy, Q&A ; Magda Stoczkiewicz, CEE Bankwatch/Friends of the Earth
12.00-13.30 Discussion
13.30-13.45 Wrap up
13.45 -14.30 Lunch and possibility for individual talks.
[1] <doc166|left>
[2] See Introducing the Aarhus convention, and/or download the Aarhus Convention in French : Convention sur l’accès a l’information, la participation du public au processus décisionnel et l’accès a la justice en matière d’environnement (pdf, 60 ko).