This comparative analysis follows the growing number of EU member states that are introducing or considering introducing lobbying regulations in order to make public decision-making more responsive and transparent. The formats range from statutory lobbying rules (mandatory regulation) to voluntary systems of lobbyist registration (soft regulation), to self-regulation by the public sector. This analysis was first compiled in 2015 and was updated in October 2019. At the European Union level, the Transparency Register, a public database, was built by the National Parliament and the European Commission in 2011 to record the activities of interest representatives trying to influence decision-making in the EU. This public register includes almost 12,000 organizations to date and is administered jointly by the Parliament and the Commission.

Publication year: 2019

Author:Elisabeth Bauer and Marie Thiel, with Eva Laurencin and Verena Holzapfel

Promoter Entity: European Parliament

More information: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/EPRS/Lobbying-transparency-comparative-analysis.pdf