Corporate and non-governmental organizations exert a growing influence over public policy formulation at local, national and international levels. Many see this as a legitimate and necessary means of promoting and defending the interests of organisations and their stakeholders. US style professional lobbying has proliferated, first in Europe and then in the developing world. Many organizations are vociferous and effective advocates in shaping public policy, in ways that now go well beyond the narrow short-term defence of their own interests.

It is our belief, that the GR industry should have a system to ensure quality in the performance of GR engagements by its members. Professional standards should integrate ethical issues, structural issues and service quality issues, all of which are interdependent. Standards would be needed at both the corporate and individual levels. A corporate standard would allow GR firms to show that they have met certain requirements; an individual standard could extend to those working in-house as well as for freelance consultancies.

AmCham EU put forward the following set of recommendations for consideration:

1. Intensify effort by the Commission towards a smart enforcement strategy that facilitates the transposition of EU rules in Member States, in the least trade-restrictive manner. In doing this, the Commission would foster and enhance the integrity of the internal market, being the guardian of the treaties.

The anatomy of a deal is comprised of three basic components: the expected return, upside potential, and downside risk. Another way to describe this is to ask: 

• What do I expect to happen?
• What is the best possible scenario?
• What is the worst possible scenario? 

The goal is to have a fair expected return, a huge upside, and very little downside.

Choosing the right GR firm for the work you have at hand is critical because it can bring an objective, independent point of view to help you achieve your communications goals vis-à-vis public authorities. External GR consultants are exposed to different organisations on several different levels; they can apply the best solutions to your GR communications challenges, using a variety of new ideas and tools along the way. You end up with clear, objective thinking and proven strategic and tactical solutions.

Ethical practice is the most important obligation of a GR Practitioner

ADVOCACY

The GR Practitioner serves the public interest by acting as a responsible advocate for those he/she represents. The GR Practitioner provides a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate.

HONESTY

The GR Practitioner adheres to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those he/she represents and in communicating with public officials and the public.

The Code of Conduct in Annex III of the 2014 Interinstitutional Agreement on the EU Transparency Register sets out the rules for all those who register and establishes the underlying principles for standards of behaviour in all relations with the EU institutions.

The parties (EC/EP) consider that all interest representatives interacting with them whether on a single occasion or more frequently, registered or not should behave in conformity with this code of conduct.

1. Great responsibility
   Professionals deal in matters of vital importance to their clients and are therefore entrusted with grave responsibilities and obligations. Given these inherent obligations, professional work typically involves circumstances where carelessness, inadequate skill, or breach of ethics would be significantly damaging to the client and/or his fortunes.
2. Accountability
   

There is an increase of publications, conversations, and presentations surrounding the topic of GR as a profession. None fully explores or offers a consensus on whether or not GR is a profession or if GR specialists should work toward professionalizing the field in the future. GR still has some distance to travel before it is recognized a field of study, a discipline, or a profession. GR must establish more credentials before it can be considered a true discipline.

Source: The World Justice Project (WJP) Open Government Index 2015

1. PUBLICIZED LAWS AND GOVERNMENT DATA