March 22, 2017. The Committee of the Federation Council on Constitutional Legislation and State Building held a roundtable discussion on the development of a regulatory framework for lobbying activities in the Russian Federation. The discussion was attended by members of the Federation Council, deputies of the State Duma, representatives of federal executive authorities, the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, as well as scientific and public organizations and higher education institutions. The discussion was moderated by Senators Alexander Bashkin and Vladimir Kravchenko.
The issue of legislative regulation of lobbying has a long history. The debate over the need for a lobbying law has been ongoing for two decades. The question of whether such a law is necessary and what it should entail is highly complex. Among the reasons for this situation are both the complexity of the subject matter and the differing interests of stakeholders and groups. There was no consensus among the roundtable participants either. The range of proposals and opinions varied from outright rejection of the need for new regulations in this area to calls for adopting relevant legislation as soon as possible.
Oleg Rumyantsev, President of the Association of Business-Government Relations Specialists ("GR League"), suggested delaying the adoption of a lobbying law, as it could entail systemic risks for the professional community. To minimize such risks, he proposed the idea of self-regulation (including the possible creation of a voluntary registry of lobbyists) in addition to constitutional regulation of interest representation. Rumyantsev stated that the necessary and sufficient measure for state regulation would be the adoption of a professional standard for specialists in government relations. He also announced that the draft professional standard for "Specialists in Interaction with Government Authorities, Local Self-Government Bodies, Non-Profit Organizations, and Representation of Organizational Interests," which the GR League had been developing since 2015, would soon be published on the website of the Ministry of Labor for public comments and suggestions (the full version of O.G. Rumyantsev’s speech at the roundtable can be found in the appendix).
In the end, the participants agreed on the need to establish a working group to conduct a deeper and more detailed study of lobbying issues and to determine the most acceptable format for regulating lobbying activities in the Russian Federation.
The issue of legislative regulation of lobbying has a long history. The debate over the need for a lobbying law has been ongoing for two decades. The question of whether such a law is necessary and what it should entail is highly complex. Among the reasons for this situation are both the complexity of the subject matter and the differing interests of stakeholders and groups. There was no consensus among the roundtable participants either. The range of proposals and opinions varied from outright rejection of the need for new regulations in this area to calls for adopting relevant legislation as soon as possible.
Oleg Rumyantsev, President of the Association of Business-Government Relations Specialists ("GR League"), suggested delaying the adoption of a lobbying law, as it could entail systemic risks for the professional community. To minimize such risks, he proposed the idea of self-regulation (including the possible creation of a voluntary registry of lobbyists) in addition to constitutional regulation of interest representation. Rumyantsev stated that the necessary and sufficient measure for state regulation would be the adoption of a professional standard for specialists in government relations. He also announced that the draft professional standard for "Specialists in Interaction with Government Authorities, Local Self-Government Bodies, Non-Profit Organizations, and Representation of Organizational Interests," which the GR League had been developing since 2015, would soon be published on the website of the Ministry of Labor for public comments and suggestions (the full version of O.G. Rumyantsev’s speech at the roundtable can be found in the appendix).
In the end, the participants agreed on the need to establish a working group to conduct a deeper and more detailed study of lobbying issues and to determine the most acceptable format for regulating lobbying activities in the Russian Federation.