The lobbying activity in Romania
Lobbying means any action or means of promotion carried out by a person / group of persons for the purpose of influencing the activity of the legislature or the executive in a State, whether that action is done at the central, international level or the local one.
To speak the truth, the Romanian lobbying activity is still at its early stages. Therefore, the general behavior of lobbying firms in Romania is reactive, to correct or improve some decisions already taken.
The lobbying activity in Romania is difficult to analyze considering the permissive legislation, which allows lobbying companies not to disclose any piece of information about the clients or the money involved in the lobbying campaigns.
The credibility and legitimacy of lobbyists will come in time only from the adoption of a code of professional ethics assumed and accepted by all categories of lobbyists in Romania.
Indeed, it is an industry at the beginning of the road, but it is an industry that will grow significantly over the next years. Assumption and transparency are the elements that will generate the paradigm shift and will save this profession from a stigma based on myths generated by ignorance and civic disinterest on the part of the masses, but also by the opaque nature of lobbying.
The lobbying activity in Romania is difficult to analyze considering the permissive legislation, which allows lobbying companies not to disclose any piece of information about the clients or the money involved in the lobbying campaigns.
The credibility and legitimacy of lobbyists will come in time only from the adoption of a code of professional ethics assumed and accepted by all categories of lobbyists in Romania.
Indeed, it is an industry at the beginning of the road, but it is an industry that will grow significantly over the next years. Assumption and transparency are the elements that will generate the paradigm shift and will save this profession from a stigma based on myths generated by ignorance and civic disinterest on the part of the masses, but also by the opaque nature of lobbying.
The main positive aspects of lobbying are:
- improving the transparency of the decision-making act and the active participation of the civil society in the decision-making process
- increasing the quality of the decisions adopted, by providing professional information to the decision makers
- changing the mentality of approaching the relations between the issuers of legislative decisions and their addressees
- transparency on information about whether or not to support a particular issue.
Lobbying in the European Union
Lobbying at EU level is based on an agreement between the European Parliament and the European Commission on the establishment of a transparency register for organizations and self-employed people involved in the development and implementation of EU policies.
The purpose of this agreement is to allow the registration of all activities carried out in order to directly or indirectly influence the development or implementation of policies or decision-making by the EU institutions.
There is a Transparency Register, and the registration in it is done on a voluntary basis, online and includes the identification data and the people involved in the lobbying activity. The register provides rules regarding the conduct of lobbyists, the categories of persons / organizations that can register, the mechanism for resolving complaints and measures applicable in case of non-compliance with the code of conduct.
The lobbying activity in the current Romanian political context
Romania, as a semi-parliamentary or a semi-presidential republic, has a relatively constant number of parliamentary parties. The longevity of the political structures is usually followed by the development of a lobby industry, which in Romania was not possible until recently.
Under these conditions, the inclusion of the lobby in a coherent way of recognition in order to gain a well-deserved place in the political system should be one of the priorities of the future Romanian governments, following the European tendencies.
Yes, at the moment there is a Romanian lobbying law, but that is only a draft and the politicians offer no signs of a future legiferation.
As we already talked about it, the lobbying activity in Brussels, at the heart of the European Union, is a very dynamic one, recognized by the European Union officials as a necessity for the democratic process.
In conclusion
There is no doubt that the Romanian society needs more transparency from all the actors participating at the process of influencing and decision making that affects the society. The lobbying activity in Romania should be clearly defined, with the difference between the conduct of this professional activity and the activities of the civil society organizations. It clearly distinguishes between a legitimate action and an act of corruption: the lobby is a central and legitimate part of the democratic process within the framework of the liberal democratic systems.
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