NATIONAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATIONS IN THE EU

Austria: Austrian Public Affairs Association (OePAV) www.oepav.at founded in September 2011.

Belgium: Belgian Public Affairs Community (BEPACT)www.bepact.be  created in 2016 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.

Bulgaria:

1. Bulgarian Public Relations Association (BDVO)www.bdvo.org. In 2005, the Bulgarian Public Relations Association (BDVO) approved its first Code of Ethics binding Public Relations Professionals that belong to the organization and  in 2015, the same organisation promoted the creation of the first lobbying register for members who have signed the Code of Ethics.
2. Bulgarian Association of Public Affairs Specialists (BAPAS)

Croatia : Croatian Society of Lobbyists (HDL) www.hdl.hr, founded in 2008 aiming to promote and raise awareness about the importance of lobbying regulation. To this day, HDL is the only existing source of data on ‘registered lobbyists’. When entering HDL, each member must sign the Ethical Code of HDL, which commits them to abide by conducts in accordance with its provisions.

Cyprus : Association of Lobbyists and Public Affairs Professionals (LPAP) No link available established by a group of Cyprus public affairs professionals and lobbyists in March 2017, also creating a code of ethics for its members.

Czech Republic: Czech Association of Public Affairs Agencies (AAPA) www.aapa.cz, created in 2012 has adopted a Code of Conduct to which Lobbying professionals may adhere to when registering voluntarily with the association. APAA also serves as an advisory body in the process of preparing the lobbying regulatory scheme in the Czech Republic.

Denmark:

1. Danish Association of Communication Professionals (DKF) www.kommunikationsforening.dk
2. Danish Association of Public Relations Consultancies (BPRV) www.publicrelationsbranchen.dk

Finland:

1. Finnish Association of Marketing Communication Agencies www.mtl.fi Code of Conduct
2. Edunvalvontafoorumi, Public Affairs Network in Finland
3. Association of Communications Professionals (PRO-COM) www.procom.fi/English Code of conduct

France:

1. Association for Professionals of Public Affairs (APPA) founded in 1985 www.affairespubliques-assoc.fr
2. French Association of Lobbying Consultants (AFCL) founded in 1991 www.afcl.net
3. Association of Lawyer-Lobbyists (AAL) founded in 2011 www.avocats-lobbying.com

Germany: German Association of Political Consultants (de’ge’pol) www.degepol.de, created in 2002. Together with other associations, a cluster of lobbying representatives called the German Council of Pubic Relations (DRPR) www.drpr-online.de possesses a unique competence to publicly rebuke any lobbyist not acting according to its guidelines.

Greece: Hellenic Association of Communication Agencies (ACA) www.edee.gr  founded in 1958, has identified the problem of the unregulated operation of the lobbying profession and has been working on establishing a comprehensive code of ethics which should govern lobbying activities.

Ireland: Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) www.prii.ie back in  in 2003 adopted a code of conduct for professional public affairs practitioners to adhere to when becoming members.

Italy

1. Il Chiostro www.ilchiostro.org, created in 2008 code of conduct for members
2. Italian Federation of Public Relations (FERPI) www.ferpi.it, created in 1970 code of conduct for members

Latvia: Latvian Lobbying Association (No link available) founded in 2012, adopted an ethical code.

Netherlands: Beroepsvereniging van Public Affairs (BUPA) https://bvpa.nl founded in 1999 , introduced a code of conduct to self-regulate its members. By becoming a member, lobbyists agree to abide by a code of conduct that, when not respected, can lead to disbarment from the association.

Poland: Association of Professional Lobbyists in Poland (APLP) www.unilob.pl created in 2003, adopted a code of Ethics based on international best practices. Also, APLP was very active during the parliamentary discussions that led to the adoption of Polandʼs law on lobbying introduced in 2005.

Romania: Romanian Lobbying Registry Association (RLRA) www.registruldelobby.ro established in 2010, setting up a voluntary system of registration coupled with an ethics code for all members of the association. In 2013, the Association took a further step and outsourced the Registry, transforming it into The Transparency Registry for Lobbying and Advocacy, supported by various organizations and supervised by a Commission led by civil society representatives. In 2015, the Code – mandatory for all registered lobbyists – has been revised by the Transparency Registry Supervisory Commission.

Slovenia: Slovenian Association of Lobbyists www.slovenski-lobisti.si  established in 2010, created an Ethical Code that was made obligatory for all members in 2011.

Spain: Asociacion de Profesionales de las Relaciones Institucionales (APRI) www.relacionesinstitucionales.es  created in 2007, adopted a code of conduct in 2011.

Sweden : No organization represents individual professional lobbyists. The Association of Public Relations Consultancies (PRECIS)www.precis.se  has issued a series of PR guidelines that member consultancies are committed to follow. The main firms working with public affairs and lobbying are all members of PRECIS, which is the dominant Swedish organization for the companies operating in the PR and communications consultancy sector.

EU countries with no identifiable Public Affairs and/or Lobbyist association

1. Estonia
2. Hungary
3. Lithuania
4. Luxembourg
5. Malta
6. Portugal
7. Slovakia