The President of Ukraine has signed the Law on Lobbying adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on February 23, 2024. The document, which was drafted by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), is designed to ensure transparency of influence on government processes and openness of interaction between the government, business and civil society.
According to the Law, the NACP is responsible for maintaining the Transparency Register, an information and communication system where information on lobbying entities and their reports will be collected, recorded and processed. It is also responsible for monitoring compliance with lobbying legislation. At the same time, the first steps to implement the Law are the approval by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of the Regulation on the Transparency Register and the Rules of Ethical Conduct for Lobbying Entities.
The Law comes into force the day after its publication. It will come into force only two months after the Transparency Register starts functioning, but no later than January 1, 2025.
"The law opens up the lobbying market in Ukraine and should create a culture of virtuous influence. I would like to note that this market already existed, but it was in the shadows, which created the basis for corruption risks. From now on, businesses can enter into contracts with lobbyists to promote their interests, and the activities of people who will transparently lobby for the commercial interests of individuals and legal entities will be regulated. The next step is to create a Transparency Register," said NACP Head Viktor Pavlushchyk.
Regulation of lobbying processes was one of the requirements of the European Commission for Ukraine's accession to the European Union, and our path to the EU and NATO directly depends on its implementation.
In addition, the legislative regulation of lobbying processes is envisaged by the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2021-2025, the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025, clause 3 of the Action Plan to Prevent the Abuse of Undue Influence by Persons with Significant Economic and Political Weight in Public Life (Oligarchs), the Law of Ukraine "On Lawmaking", clause 1. 5 of the Plan for Organizing the Preparation of Draft Acts and Performing Other Tasks Necessary to Ensure the Implementation of the Decree of the President of Ukraine of 08.11.2023 No. 744/2023 "On Certain Measures to Prepare for the Negotiation Process on Ukraine's Accession to the European Union" and the European Commission's Report on Ukraine for 2023 of November 8, 2023, recommendations of the GRECO Group of States against Corruption.
