Ukraine - January 2024

The Verkhovna Rada passed a draft law ‘On Integrity in Lobbying’ on the first reading on 10 January. Adopting a law governing lobbying in line with European Union standards is one of four November 2023 recommendations the European Commission gave Ukraine to be completed by March 2024 as part of its plan for potential EU accession. The draft law aims to define lobbying and methods of influence, to create a public register of lobbyists, and to establish ethical rules and obligations for lobbyists. A coalition of civil society organisations sharply criticized the draft law in its current state, arguing that as written, a wide swathe of ordinary citizens, non-profits, and civil society organizations would be improperly defined and regulated as lobbyists. The European Union had not yet provided a public assessment of the law.

Sources: Human Rights Centre Zmina, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ukrainska Pravda