Members of parliament did not approve for the second reading [in parliament] the bill on setting a legal definition for lobbying in Slovakia. The draft tabled by the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) was rejected September 19.
KDH Chairman Ján Figeľ opined that corruption is often mistaken for lobbying and it is not clear where the lines are.
“In western Europe, lobbying is considered an important part of life,” he said as quoted by the SITA newswire. “It has its legal base.” He also pointed out that since the Smer party led government took power last year, no positive legislation concerning the fight against corruption or managing the lobbying has been adopted.
KDH defined in the draft bill who can be a lobbyist and under which conditions they can lobby, defining the term itself and setting conditions for it – as well as related sanctions. Lobbyists would be required to register with the Interior Ministry.
Figeľ and Pavol Hrušovský (KDH) commented on Smer voting down the draft bill on lobbying, insisting the ruling party is satisfied with the present state of non-transparent lobbying, the TASR newswire wrote. Hrušovský also voiced his disappointment about the bill on protection of corruption whistleblowers being voted down.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
19. Sep 2013 at 14:00
