The approval of the draft Transparency and Integrity Act marks a milestone by regulating for the first time the relationships between interest groups and the State Administration. The legislation aims to enhance democratic quality by establishing a Public Register of Mandatory Registration, managed by the Office for Conflicts of Interest. This mechanism requires lobbyists to clearly identify themselves before interacting with senior officials, ensuring that such interactions are legitimate and documented, in line with international recommendations from the OECD. A central aspect of the law is the implementation of the legislative footprint system, which records changes in legislation resulting from influence activities. This allows tracking of how external pressures affect the drafting of laws, promoting greater accountability. Additionally, a strict code of conduct is established, prohibiting practices such as offering gifts, while revolving door provisions are limited to prevent former public officials from exerting influence on matters related to their previous responsibilities for a specified period. This initiative is fundamental to the open data movement, as it transforms opaque influence relationships into public and accessible information. By making the register electronic and public, it empowers citizens and civil society to audit the transparency of the public sector. The availability of this data enables effective social oversight of potential conflicts of interest, demonstrating that transparent governance requires not only good laws but also open access to the information that supports their implementation.
Source:Published on 2023-04-11