ASSESSMENT LOBBY RULES/BELGIUM

Belgium

• Voluntary
• Broad Definition
• Only applies to Parliament, entirely voluntary
• Register Scope: Legislative
• Register Category: Identification, field of activity
• Limited Information
• Public access
• Code of conduct

Belgium needs to complete the legislative reform on lobbying, establishing a framework including a transparency register and a legislative footprrint covering members of Parliament and Government

Note  

In 2018 the first legal framework for a lobby register was introduced in Belgium. By registering, lobbyists agree to respect a Code of Conduct , which will be annexed to Parliament's Rules and Procedures Code. It requires them to act in an honest, transparent and professional way by imposing obligations to disclose to Members of Parliament, their assistants or civil servants of the Parliament the specific interests they represent and to refrain from actions to obtain information in a dishonest way. Overall, the register applies to all organisations who – directly or indirectly – intend to influence the policy-making and decision-making process and its implementation, covering professional consultancy agencies, in house lobbyists and independent consultants, law firms, trade unions, NGO’s, religious representatives, trade associations, think thanks and academic institutions. Note however that certain activities regarding legal or other professional advice will be exempted. Each registrant will be required to provide the register with their personal identification data, the information of the organization they work for and the client they are representing. Recently in 2016 a new Belgian Public Affairs Community (BEPACT) was created with the objective of promoting public affairs activities in Belgium by gathering public affairs professionals in the territory and creating a code of conduct according to which members should abide by.