September 1, 2026, marks one year since the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Lobbying" (the Law) came into force and the Transparency Register began its operation. Over this time, Ukraine has established its initial practice of interaction between lobbying entities and public servants, alongside conducting two reporting campaigns for lobbyists.
The results of the new institution’s first year, the practice of applying the legislation, and future areas of development were discussed during the event "Lobbying in Ukraine: First Results and Prospects," organised by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) together with the Council of Europe.
"This year demonstrated the main point: transparent lobbying in Ukraine is possible, and it has already become a working practice rather than a theory. At the same time, we clearly understand that we are only at the beginning of the journey. The institution of lobbying needs to grow, and along with it, the awareness of everyone it affects must grow as well," noted NACP Head Viktor Pavlushchyk.
From the new law to practical implementation
"During the first year, the NACP focused on ensuring that the new rules were not only introduced, but also understandable to process participants and applicable in practice. In particular, the Agency approved Clarifications on the Application of Legislation on Lobbying, which cover practical issues — from acquiring the status of a lobbying entity to applying lobbying methods and the specifics of reporting. The NACP also conducted awareness-raising events, webinars, and consultations for lobbying entities, business associations, targets of lobbying, and authorised anti-corruption units," said Anastasiia Yezerska, Head of the relevant NACP department.
It is worth noting that since September 1, 2025, information on lobbying activities has become publicly available in an open format in the Transparency Register. It shows who carries out lobbying, whose interests they represent, which normative legal act or issue is being influenced, and which government representatives are being interacted with.
As of August 31, 2026, 205 lobbying entities are registered in the Register, 167 of which have active status; information on more than 900 normative legal acts subject to influence has been submitted; and over 1,500 interactions between lobbying entities and public servants have been recorded.
Additionally, two reporting campaigns on lobbying activities took place during this period in line with the deadlines set by the Law. The results of the campaigns indicate that participants are gradually adapting to the new rules. In particular, following the results of the second campaign compared to the first, the number of lobbying subjects more than doubled, while the number of clients and beneficiaries increased more than threefold.
International experience as a benchmark for development
Ukraine developed its lobbying regulation system taking into account international standards and the experience of countries where transparent interactions are already an established practice. Therefore, the event participants paid special attention to the approaches and recommendations applied in European countries.
Council of Europe expert Vita Habjan Barborič presented European approaches to regulating interactions between interest groups and public authorities, mechanisms for preventing undue influence, and the role of transparency registers in ensuring accountability in the law-making process.
Representatives of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Elena Koncevičiūtė and Pauline Bertrand, spoke about the Organisation's recommendations regarding transparency and integrity in lobbying. In particular, they addressed the completeness and quality of published information, effective control and accountability mechanisms, and the cultivation of a culture of integrity among all participants in the process. The OECD experts emphasised that the effectiveness of regulation depends not only on having relevant rules in place but also on how consistently the state clarifies them, supports participants, and improves the system based on law-enforcement practice.
International standards and partners' recommendations serve as a key benchmark for the further improvement of the Ukrainian system, directly aligning with the NACP's priorities for the upcoming period.
How the new rules work
Officially registered lobbyists also shared their experiences of working under the new rules. During the panel discussion, lobbyists discussed specific issues related to acquiring the status of a lobbying entity, submitting lobbying reports, and provisions of the Law that require improvement.
The practical experience of lobbying market participants themselves is vital for the system's further enhancement, as it is during the legislation's application phase that it becomes clear how effectively the rules work in practice.
What lies ahead
The results of the lobbying institution's first year of operation point to the gradual emergence of a new practice: business has gained a transparent mechanism for representing its interests during public policy formulation; the public and journalists have gained the visibility to see who interacts with government officials, in whose interests, and regarding which acts; and the state has acquired a tool for open dialogue with the private sector to consider its position when developing policies.
The next phase is to refine the system based on its practical application. The NACP's priorities include drafting legislative amendments reflecting law enforcement practice and recommendations from international partners, continuing awareness-raising work with lobbying entities and other stakeholders, and further developing the functionality of the Transparency Register.
For reference. On February 23, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine "On Lobbying" No. 3606-IX, which defined the legal framework for lobbying in Ukraine, the rules of interaction between lobbying entities and law-making entities, and mechanisms to ensure transparency in lobbying activities.
The Law entered into force on March 14, 2024, and its provisions came into effect on September 1, 2025.
On the same day, the NACP put the Transparency Register into commercial operation — an information and communication system designed for gathering, recording, processing, and publishing information on lobbying entities, their activities, and reporting. The owner and administrator of the Register is the NACP.
