Ukrainian government approves bill for lobbying
Lobbying in Ukraine will be transparent and public (Vitaliy Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a draft law on fair lobbying. It is aimed at implementing the European Commission's recommendations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, according to Taras Melnychuk, the government's representative in the Verkhovna Rada.
According to Melnychuk, the draft law aims to:
- ensuring the legal framework for lobbying in Ukraine following international practices and standards,
- ensuring legal regulation of interaction between officials and stakeholders and lobbying entities,
- establishing transparent mechanisms for the activities of lobbying entities and officials and mechanisms for controlling lobbying activities.
"The revised draft law takes into account the proposals submitted by the coalition of civil society organizations, in particular, in the part on advocacy. Advocacy is not lobbying, and this is clearly stated in the draft law," he writes.
The draft law
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak published the draft law.
According to the draft law, the Transparency Register is to be created, with the National Agency on Corruption Prevention as its holder and administrator.
A person who intends to register as a lobbying and/or advocacy entity shall enter a clear list of information into the Register.
The Register includes information on lobbying contracts, sources of funding, clients and beneficiaries of lobbying, and the lobbying entity.
It is determined that the information entered into it is public. Access to the Transparency Register is open and free of charge.
Recommendations of the European Commission
On November 8, the European Commission recommended that the EU Council start accession talks with Ukraine. According to Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine has already implemented 90% of the reforms expected by the EU. However, Kyiv must continue to implement reforms.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that by the end of 2023, Ukraine would have made all the decisions necessary to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
What is lobbying?
Lobbying is the process of influencing the decision-making of government officials, legislators, or other government representatives to support specific interests or views. This can include a variety of actions aimed at shaping or changing legislation, policies, or regulations.
Lobbying can be represented by representatives of businesses, industries, NGOs, trade unions, law firms, and other interest groups. This process may include meetings with legislators, drafting bills, addressing the public or the media, financial support for politicians' campaigns, etc.
In several countries, lobbying is regulated by law to avoid corruption and ensure transparency in the influence of interest groups on decision-making. However, the effectiveness of these rules and the level of influence of lobbyists may vary from country to country and from one country to another.
