Introduction

Public policies are the main ‘product’ people receive, observe, and evaluate from their governments. When designing and implementing these policies, governments need to acknowledge the existence of diverse interest groups, and consider the costs and benefits for these groups. In practice, a variety of interests aim at influencing public policies through lobbying and influence practices, sharing their needs, goals, and even expertise on policy problems and how they might be addressed.

Such lobbying and influence activities, understood as all actions aimed at or capable of influencing public decision-making, often have a profound impact on the quality and outcome of public policies. Depending on how these activities are conducted, they can greatly advance or block progress on major global challenges. On the one hand, inclusive policy-making processes can lead to more informed and ultimately better policies, and increase the legitimacy of public decisions. On the other hand, when public decision-makers agree to policies that narrowly further the private, commercial or political interests of certain groups, whether domestic or foreign, there is a risk that these public policies could have harmful economic or social impacts on society.

In 2010, the OECD Council adopted the Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying to provide decision-makers with guidance promoting equal access to policy discussions for all parties concerned, enhancing transparency and fostering a culture of integrity in lobbying. Over the past decade however, the lobbying and influence landscape has evolved. As shown in the 2021 Report “Lobbying in the 21st Century: Transparency, Integrity, and Access”, methods of influence are evolving, and more actors are involved in lobbying than ever before. This can pose challenges for governments in navigating public conversations on policy, tackling undue influence, counterbalancing the influence of the financially and politically more powerful, and setting up an effective transparency and integrity framework on lobbying. Additionally, the risks involved with foreign government influence are only addressed in a handful of countries.

In light of this changing landscape, the OECD is updating its 2010 Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying. The draft revised Recommendation aims to reflect the evolving lobbying and influence landscape, and to guide efforts by all actors, across government, business and civil society, in reinforcing the frameworks for transparency and integrity in policy-making. 

What is an OECD Recommendation

Recommendations are OECD legal instruments. They are adopted by Council and are not legally binding. They represent a political commitment to the principles they contain and entail an expectation that Adherents will do their best to implement them. There are currently around 180 OECD Recommendations in force. For more information, please consult the online Compendium of OECD Legal Instruments. 

Purpose of the public consultation

Consistent with its inclusive approach, the OECD is holding this public consultation to ensure that the draft revised Recommendation on Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying benefits from the views and experiences of all relevant stakeholders.

This public consultation is open to stakeholders from all over the world: lobbyists, business, trade associations, grassroots organisations, think tanks, research bodies, civil society organisations, government officials, international organisations, and citizens. Through the consultation, the OECD also aims to evaluate the relevance and applicability of the draft revised Recommendation.

How feedback from the public consultation will be used

Inputs collected during the public consultation will help inform the finalisation of the draft revised Recommendation. They will be analysed by the Secretariat and a revised version will be discussed by the relevant OECD bodies and transmitted to the OECD Council for adoption.

Guidance on providing feedback

Stakeholders interested in commenting on the draft revised Recommendation can send their written comments in English or French to [email protected] no later than 1 December 2022.

In their feedback, stakeholders are invited to answer the following questions:

• Does the draft revised Recommendation adequately reflect the emerging concerns and challenges in the lobbying and influence landscape? What additional challenges, if any, should the draft revised Recommendation address?
• What are, in your view, key aspects related to the lobbying and influence landscape that should be added to the draft revised Recommendation?
• What changes, if any, would you recommend in the draft revised Recommendation?

Comments submitted on behalf of another person or group of persons should identify all enterprises or individuals who are members of the collective group, or the person(s) on whose behalf the commentator(s) is/are acting.

Your rights

Inputs received will be considered public and may be published on the website, unless requested otherwise.

Any personal data provided as part of this consultation is protected consistent with the OECD Data Protection Rules. Please note, however, that your submission will be made public, as outlined above. Under the Rules, you have rights to access and rectify your personal data, as well as to object to its processing, request erasure, and obtain data portability in certain circumstances. To exercise these rights in connection with the consultation please contact [email protected].

If you have further queries or complaints related to the processing of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer. If you need further assistance in resolving claims related to personal data protection you can contact the Data Protection Commissioner.

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For further information or inquiries, please contact [email protected].

See the comments:

Comments on the Draft revised Recommendation

Summary of comments on the Draft revised Recommendation 

Access the text: 

Draft revised OECD Recommendation

For background: