Lobbying in the European Union and the Czech Republic

Abstract

Transparent lobbying is a natural and desirable part of the functioning of each democratic state. The paper analyzes the specific ways, perception and regulation of lobbying in the European Union and the Czech Republic. In the European Union it focuses mainly on two institutions which are under pressure of the lobbyists, the European Commission and the European Parliament. Furthermore, paper presents the situation in the perception and regulation of lobbying in the Czech Republic, and clarifies several unsucessful attempts to regulate lobbying. In conclusion paper compares specific lobbying environment and regulation in the European Union and the Czech Republic and formulates recommendations for the Czech lobbying practices.

Keywords

• lobbying
• EU
• European Commission
• European Parliament
• self-regulation
• the European Transparency Initiative