LOBBYING LANDSCAPE IN SLOVAKIA

Despite previous attempts to establish rules on lobbying, it is not regulated in Slovakia. There is no specific obligation for registration of lobbyists or reporting of contacts between public officials and lobbyists. There are no fixed set of rules governing meetings and relations between interested groups and MPs in Slovakia.

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) underscores substantial corruption risks and vulnerabilities that parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors are prone to in the Slovak Republic. It also points to common challenges posed by deficiencies in the implementation of regulations on conflicts of interest and the lack of well-articulated and enforceable codes of conduct.

As regards members of parliament, insufficient attention paid to corruption risks encourages inappropriate “behind-the-scene” decision making practices. In particular, regulation of contacts with lobbyists and others with partial interests and of the acceptance of gifts and other advantages warrant strong attention. Adequate enforcement of the rules on asset disclosure and conflicts of interest requires strengthening the mandate of the Parliamentary Committee on the Incompatibility of Functions. Further refinement of the financial disclosure rules seems to be needed in order to capture deputies’ financial and business interests.

Low levels of public trust, insufficient transparency and accountability as well as the vulnerability of the judiciary (and, to a certain extent, of the Public Prosecution Service) to undue political interference, demand priority attention. It is vital that the independence of the Judicial Council – the key self-governing body of the judiciary – is bolstered and that the transparency of its operations is increased. Asset disclosure by judges and prosecutors is to be improved, and the scope of disclosure needs to be broadened to include liabilities and gifts above a certain threshold. Unimpeded public access to asset declarations by prosecutors and affidavits on their auxiliary employment is also to be ensured.