Government presents draft bill on tightening up lobbying activities

Interior Minister Krzysztof Janik presented a draft bill on lobbying during his press conference on Wednesday. Under its provisions, the Ministry would be responsible for running a free of charge register of lobbyers. Lobbying exists, but in Poland it has taken more of a hidden form that can lead to c orruption. The bill is based on the experiences of countries like Germany a nd Canada. According to the draft, lobbyists would have to register, prepare reports on their activities and make this information publicly available. T he state will be obliged to prepare and publish documents on their activiti es and inform the public about them. According to Janik, the draft is not o ver-restrictive, but it is precise and will allow differentiating between l egal lobbying and buying decisions. (www.mediarun.pl) M.M.