The Heads of State or Government and the representatives of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the representatives of the European Union and the Heads of State or Government and representatives of its Member States met in Riga on 21-22 May 2015.

Breakdown by Countries (Individuals from 17 EU countries targeted)

Poland (18), United Kingdom (9), Sweden (8), Estonia (8), Germany (7), Lithuania (7) Latvia (5), Romania (5), Czech Republic (4), Denmark (4), France (4), Netherlands (3), Belgium (2), Spain (2), Bulgaria (1), Finland (1), Greece (1)

Poland + Baltic States= 38 individuals 42% of total list

Belgium (2)

1. Guy Verhofstadt
2. Mark Demesmaeker

Bulgaria (1)

To date, the local elites have had no time to focus on national branding due to the country’s economic  climate: Ukraine's economy contracted by a stunning 17.6 percent in the first quarter of 2015 compared with a year earlier, when the separatist conflict erupted. In 2014, Ukraine lost approximately 20 percent of its economy with industrial sector output in Donetsk and Luhansk regions falling by 30 to 40 percent. For average Ukrainians, that has translated into a drop in living standards.

TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The score for each country below is indicated in parenthesis:

The Institute of Democracy and Development ‘PolitA’ is organising the International GR-Forum which is the most important event in the sphere of Government Relation in Ukraine. The GR Forum will take place on 5 June in Kiev.

Many types of organizations virtually and physically interact and communicate with publics and/or audiences outside their own country of origin to build a dynamic set of relationships. Trade, direct foreign investment, political coalitions, worthy global causes, information flow, and social networking, among other phenomena, are increasing the complexity of these relationships dramatically. Moreover, this complexity results in greater interdependence and interconnectivity among societies, groups of ideology-driven or cause-driven individuals, and organizations worldwide .

"FIFA bears a special responsibility to safeguard the integrity and reputation of football worldwide. FIFA is constantly striving to protect the image of football, and especially that of FIFA, from jeopardy or harm as a result of illegal, immoral or unethical methods and practices. In this connection, the following Code reflects the principles of the FIFA Code of Conduct, which defines the most important core values for behaviour and conduct within FIFA as well as with external parties.

The term 'lobbyist' is not defined but refers to 'organisations and self-employed individuals engaged in EU policymaking and policy implementation'. The EU uses an activity-based definition ((i.e. whether an entity is a lobbyist depends on what the organisation does, and not on its legal status). Lobbying activities therefore cover 'all activities [...] carried out with the objective of directly or indirectly influencing the formulation or implementation of policy and the decision-making processes of the EU institutions, irrespective of the channel or medium of communication [...]'.

Back on 15 April 2014, the so-called Gualtieri report (AFCO Committee : Rapporteur Roberto Gualtiery, S&D, Italy) was adopted by plenary. The report reiterated the call for a mandatory register, asking the Commission to submit a proposal for a regulation by end-2016.

Problem of Legal Basis

Canada has over two decades of experience in administering legislation on lobbying. During this time, growing expectations for government transparency and integrity have resulted in lobbying remaining in the spotlight and on the political agenda. The Lobbyists Registration Act was Canada's initial federal legislation regarding the registration of lobbyists. It came into force in 1989. Since then, the legislation has been amended on a number of occasions. In 2008 the legislation was amended and renamed the Lobbying Act.