Transparency International names lobbyists on behalf of Russian interests in Europe
Anti-corruption advocates from Transparency International - Russia have prepared a report on Russian corporate lobbying abroad.
"The report describes the principles of the work of public registries of lobbyists from 13 European countries and the European Union, available on the websites of government authorities or self-regulating organizations of lobbyists," the report states.
Employees of Transparency International reviewed the lobbying initiatives of Russia’s Gazprom in Austria, France, Great Britain, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia.
"The study does not claim to be complete and inclusive: registries do not work in all EU countries, and it is impossible to assess the overall degree of influence of Russian companies and corporations on the adoption of government decisions throughout the EU," the authors of the report said.
According to them, the document mentions lobbying organizations and the names of lobbyists working in the EU countries.
"A relatively small amount of declared lobbying expenses of Russian companies attracts attention: the ‘champions’ are Gazprom and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, whose annual spending is less than 1 million euros. At the same time, the report gives examples of how some European business associations actually take on the functions of lobbying for the interests of Russian companies, as well as use some other practices that are not formally lobbying, but in fact serve the same purposes," the organization said.
To date, the legislation of the Russian Federation does not define and regulate lobbying, although various lobbying practices exist in Russia and abroad. "It seems obvious to us that such lack of transparency and lack of legal regulation can contribute to the emergence of corruption," Transparency International-Russia said.