HUNGARY: new law on lobbying

A special pass issued to lobbyers allows them free entry to the national parliament and other national administration offices. The new card does not give real access as the lobbyers can enter the above mentioned offices only by appointment. The pass therefore guarantees less rights than does the press card. Even though the issuing of the pass is quite formal, the law on lobbying which came into force on the first of September and its implementation (including the lobbyers pass) is a serious improvement on the situation. This is because the previous regulations only specified what lobbyers and authorities were not allowed to do, for example speculations or other kinds of abuse of power. The current regulation requires transparency from all parties. So far, there have been no concrete figures on lobbyers in Hungary. At the moment, there are only estimates. By these reckonings, the number of organisations or people acting as lobbyers could be between 100-200. In the case that they want to keep working as lobbyers, they now have to be registered. According to the new regulation, both politicians and lobbyists have to report every meeting on the internet. If lobbyers neglect to report such meetings, they risk their registration and passes. Lobbyers without registration can expect to be liable for a fine calculated according to a complex system. The calculation is based on a basic penalty and various multipliers . The national authority controlling the registration of lobbyists is interested in being vigilant, because one fifth of the fine remains to their expense.