1. The employment of special advisers adds a political dimension to the advice and assistance available to Ministers while reinforcing the political impartiality of the permanent Civil Service by distinguishing the source of political advice and support.

In order to implement its Anti-Corruption Strategy, Ukraine is considering the draft and approval of a number of laws, in particular, on:

Almost 900 amendments have been drafted to the European Parliament’s position on the ongoing negotiations conducted by the Commission for a Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the United States (TTIP). Although the European Parliament is not formally involved in negotiations, the European Commission is legally obliged to keep Parliament updated, and Parliament has the power to reject the trade deal once it has been finalised.

Large FIFA sponsors (Coca Cola Co., Visa Inc., McDonald's Corp) and others cannot risk tarnishing their reputation with even a whiff of wrongdoing. The balance between wanting a squeaky-clean image and getting access to soccer's huge global fan base presents a quandary for international brands: Sponsors expect their partners to be transparent and ethical. Sponsors do not want to be associated with alleged 'shady practices' and are increasingly asking right-owners tough questions on a range of compliance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues.

The U.S. Justice Department unsealed a 47-count indictment charging 14 world soccer figures, including officials of FIFA, with racketeering, wire fraud,  bribery, kickbacks, money laundering, money laundering conspiracies, undisclosed and illegal payments

Positive Steps in Reforms

The recent events in Ukraine have had a massive impact on business in the country. Companies are faced with many new risks, while at the same time encountering new opportunities. The staunch anti-corruption platform declared by Ukraine's President and government, following the EuroMaidan revolution, has provided a new approach for international and local businesses to deliver messages to Ukrainian authorities and lobby interests in a transparent and FCPA/UK bribery act compliant manner.

Lobbying is not a well-known activity. The awareness of the driving forces of democracy and the daily life of the legislative sphere is low. When individuals are confronted with lobbying, they usually have a bad perception of what this is about. Lobbying has a very bad reputation and the concept is frequently associated with words such as manipulation, corruption, bribery, and so on. The rare occasions the public hear about lobbying is in the media. There is crisis everywhere and scandals sell so media rather pick up on bad stories concerning lobbyists instead of good ones.

One of the most frequently criticized aspects of the lobbying profession is the so-called Revolving Door, whereby individuals move between positions in the public and the private public sectors. According to conventional wisdom, experience in government allows former officials to develop a network of friends and colleagues that they can later exploit on behalf of their clients. Such movement has become more frequent throughout the world in recent years as governments and business communities have developed closer ties.

As lobbyists we are experts in providing information to legislators and helping guide their decision-making process. Our expertise is particularly valuable when one considers that neither legislators nor the interest groups that hire us have the technical background or the time to delve into the detailed implications of all the pieces of legislation that are under consideration. Many in the media and the general public hold the view that our main asset is not what we know, but instead whom we know.