This document summarizes regulations around lobbying in the EU and its member states. It discusses the key rule-setting bodies like the OECD and Transparency International, and their views that lobbying is an important part of democratic debate when done transparently. It notes that government policy can significantly affect companies' value. The EU's approach is to require registration of any group seeking to influence EU policymaking. Mandatory registration systems exist in only a few EU member states. Areas that can be regulated include defining lobbyists, registration procedures, spending disclosure, and enforcement mechanisms. Alternatively, self-regulation, government transparency, and a free press can provide transparency without mandatory rules.

1. András Baneth
Public Affairs Council
European office
Regulating lobbying: what the EU
(and its Member States) do?
GR Conference, Ukraine, 5 June 2015

2. Public affairs lobbying≠

3. The rule-setters
• OECD
• EU Commission / European Parliament
• Transparency International
• Activist groups (ALTER-EU etc.)

4. “Lobbying provides useful information and
opinions to political representatives and public
officials. It is not, therefore, a morally
questionable activity, but an important element
of the democratic debate and decision-making
process.”
– [Transparency International, 2009]

5. “Second only to customers, government is
likelier to affect companies’ value than any other
stakeholder.”
[McKinsey 2010]

6. The EU’s approach
• "All organisations seeking to
influence policymaking, policy
implementation and/or decision-
making in the EU institutions”
[EU Transparency Register's approach
to who should sign up]

7. EU Member States
Mandatory registration systems exist only in:
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Slovenia
• Austria
• UK

8. What is (or can be) regulated?
• The definition of lobbyist
• Procedures of registration
• Spending disclosure (measurement?)
• Mechanisms of enforcement
• Revolving-door provisions

9. …or
• Self-regulation
• Government:
– Transparency
– Access to documents
• Stakeholder’s own disclosure
• Free press

10. Thank you!
abaneth@pac.org