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Austria: Both lobbying companies and companies that employ lobbyists must have a code of conduct. They have to inform about it on their website and provide it to everyone who asks.

Belgium: No code of conduct for lobbyists

Bulgaria: No code of conduct for lobbyists

Croatia: The members of the Croatian Society of Lobbyists sign the Code of Conduct upon registration. Registration requires an annual fee of 200 Euro.

Cyprus : No code of conduct for lobbyists

Czech Republic : Czech Lobbying Association, 2012, has adopted a Code of Conduct

Denmark: Danish PR association (Public Relations Foreningen) has established an ethical code.

Estonia: No code of conduct for lobbyists

Finland: Most public affairs organisations and PR agencies have their own codes. Also the Finnish Association of Marketing Communication Agencies, Procom, the Finnish Association of Communication Professionals as well as the professional lobbyist association.

France: Code of Conduct containing detailed rules for lobbyists and their ethical behaviour adopted by Bureau of National Assembly on 26/06/13, and in Senate, adopted in 2009. Improved code of ethics/conduct to be adopted with the mandatory system.

Germany: No code of conduct stricto senso prescribing an ethical behaviour of lobbyists

Greece: No code of conduct for lobbyists

Hungary: No code of conduct for lobbyists

Ireland: Statutory code, with variations depending on category of lobbyist

Italy: Some self regulation by public affairs associations with their own codes of conduct for members, “Il Chiostro” and “Ferpi”

Latvia: Self- regulation Latvian lobbying companies founded an association in 2012 as well as adopted an ethical code (Latvian Lobbying Association, 2012).

Lithuania: Lobbyists’ Code of Ethics

Luxembourg: No code of conduct for lobbyists

Malta: No code of conduct for lobbyists

Netherlands: No related code for lobbyists

Poland: No stricto senso code of conduct concerning ethical behaviour of lobbyists.

Portugal: No code of conduct for lobbyists- and it is also legal for Members of the Parliament to work part-time as MPs and part time as lobbyists, which they do, according to estimations, about 75 of them. The constitutions allows it.

Romania: Self Regulation Romanian Lobbying Association (RLRA) set up a voluntary system of registration in 2010 with an ethics code for all members of the association

Slovakia: No code of conduct for lobbyists.

Slovenia: Pursuant to the Act, lobbyists may form lobbyist associations which adopt a code of professional ethics.

Spain: Self regulation APRI (Asociacion de profesionales de las relacio institucional) has adopted a code of conduct for its members in the sector, and is pushing for regulation.

Catalonia: Lobbyists must sign a code of conduct subject to administrative sanctions, and every six months update their meetings and contacts (including telephone) to senior positions.

Sweden: Self regulation - many public affairs organisations produce their own codes. Since 2005, the Swedish Association of Communication Professionals operates under a self-regulatory ethical code called ‘Professional Standards of the Swedish Public Relations As

United Kingdom: No code of conduct for lobbyists foreseen

Scotland: Code of Conduct for lobbyists as a part of the Transparency Bill announced (2015)

Why have a Code of Conduct for Lobbyists

A Code is intended to ensure that individuals or organisations that act on the behalf of others to seek to influence public office holders adhere to appropriate standards of probity and transparency. A main aim of a Code is to ensure that public office holders who deal with lobbyists are able to establish which interests the lobbyist represents and the issues the lobbyist raise in order to make appropriate judgments about their motives.

A Code establishes a set of principles requiring lobbyists not to engage in corrupt, dishonest or illegal activity, to make all reasonable effort to establish the truth of the information provided by the parties they represent, not to misrepresent or exaggerate the extent of their access to public office holders and to avoid personal and political conflicts of interest

A Code establishes the lobbyist’s ethical to the public and participants of the governmental decision-making process.

• A Lobbyist owes public office holders an obligation of respect.
• A Lobbyist has a duty to protect confidences when information is given to him or her with an expectation of confidentiality.
• A Lobbyist owes participants of the governmental decision-making process an obligation not to mislead them. A Lobbyist owes participants of the governmental decision-making process an obligation to correct as quickly as practically possible any incorrect information that the Lobbyist  provided them.
• A Lobbyist owes participants of the governmental decision-making process an obligation to make every reasonable effort to become, and to stay, as informed as possible on the issues and process involved in the Lobbyist’s activities.
• A Lobbyist owes the public an obligation to make every reasonable effort to promote public understanding of the governmental decision-making process and the proper role of advocacy within that process.
• A Lobbyist owes a public officeholder an obligation to inform the officeholder of the lobbyist’s planned opposition to a proposal by the officeholder prior to the Lobbyist’s active opposition.
• A Lobbyist owes participants of the governmental decision-making process an obligation to inform them of potential adverse effects of proposals to the extent that it can be adverse to known interests of those participants.
• A Lobbyist owes the public and participants of the governmental decision-making process an obligation to immediately cease representing a client in a pursued objective and inform the client as quickly as practically possible of the Lobbyist’s inability to continue representing the client in the pursued objective if it becomes known to the Lobbyist that the client’s effort in the objective is purely harassment, taken out of spite, or otherwise not in good faith, or if the continued representation would violate applicable law or the Code.