REMEDIES FOR IMPROVING LOBBYING IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

1. The government should introduce a comprehensive definition of lobbying/lobbyist/lobbying targets and adopt rules to enable registration and monitoring of lobbying activities and contacts in executive and public sectors.

 2. Chamber of Deputies and the Senate should consider adoption of a Code of Conduct for MPs, which will include reporting of lobbying contacts.

3. The government and parliament must update the existing rules of conflict of interests for legislative, executive and high-ranking public sector employees. They should specifically include former MPs in the post-employment rules with cooling off periods from 12 to 24 months. Such rules should be monitored by an independent oversight body, or in the case of MPs by the Parliamentary Committee.

4. The government should push forward with a new law on financing political parties, including election campaign financing (limits for maximum spending, obligatory reporting on campaign spending, public access to the reports on campaign spending, independent audit of campaign spending) in accordance with Council of Europe (GRECO) recommendations.

5. The government should further specify regulations of accepting gifts and favours; and lobbying contacts in line with the new Act on Public Service.

6. The government and parliament should establish clear rules for participation of external stakeholders in legislation process, decision-making and in consultation processes as well to establish clear rules for expertise and advisory boards.

7. The government and parliament should introduce a transparent and accessible footprint of the legislative and/or decision-making process enabling the public to trace the origin of different amendments made by individual MPs.

8. Lobbing, government relations and public affairs companies and similar companies are invited to adopt a Code of Conduct requesting to the extent possible that their clients and lobbying objectives are made public.

9. Chambers of Commerce, industry associations and key individual business players are invited to make public, to the extent possible their lobbying objectives towards government and contacts realised for this purpose.