The Regulation of Lobbying in Romania and in the EU: A Comparative Perspective
University Professor at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration,
Faculty of Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania
PhD Student at the Doctoral School of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration,
field of study: Administrative Sciences, Bucharest, Romania
Lobbying is an integral part of a healthy democracy, closely related to universal values such as freedom of speech and the right to petition of government, because it allows for various interest groups to present their views on public decisions that may affect them. The lobbying landscape in Europe is diverse, complex and becoming more complicated. In most countries, lobbying as a stand-alone profession and consultancy service is still in its nascent stages. However, with the EU integration process increasingly making Brussels a hub of European policy-making, there is a growing professionalization of the lobbying industry at the EU level.The paper’s structure is two-folded: on one hand, the theoretical framework provides us with a better understanding of the way the lobbying is regulated and, on the other hand, the paper presents an analysis of the perspective that lobbying is no longer just a debated notion in the academic environment in Romania, but represents a need of society that seeks to be materialized in a law aligning it to the standards of European legislation. In terms of methodology, the paper uses qualitative research for the theoretical background needed to substantiate the argument of the entire research.
