The webinar on "Influence Activities: The Greek Institutional Framework" was successfully held (07.04.2022).
More than 300 professionals from the public and private sector had the opportunity to attend the webinar organized by the National Transparency Authority on "Influence Activities: The Greek Institutional Framework". The seminar focused on the new legislative framework (Law 4829/2021) for the regulation of lobbying activities, which introduced for the first time in Greece a coherent framework for the regulation of the interaction of public bodies with lobbyists.
Views were exchanged on the obligations created by the new legislative framework for lobbyists and institutional bodies, the transparency requirements for persons engaged in lobbying activities, and the role of the NTA in supervising the proper implementation of the provisions of the institutional framework.
This seminar is part of a series of training activities of the NTA about prevention and fight against corruption in the private sector (Business Integrity) as a central theme.
The keynote speaker of the seminar was the Minister of Interior, Mr. Makis Voridis, who enumerated the actions that the Government has taken in order for our country to proceed with the implementation of innovative institutional and operational initiatives to combat corruption and to achieve the improvement of Greece's performance in international evaluations and relevant indicators. At the same time, he pointed out the pivotal role of the National Transparency Authority in the design and implementation of specific actions and projects in this direction and stressed that the institutional framework for the exercise of influence activities constitutes our country's legislative response to the relevant international debate. He stressed that the fight against corruption at all levels, especially in the Public Administration, is part of a comprehensive effort by the Government to combat fraud and corruption, which will also contribute to making the country more attractive to investors. Finally, Mr. Voridis described the adoption of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACAP) at the level of the Council of Ministers as a "top act of the overall process".
Referring to the contribution of the Authority to the formulation of the institutional framework for the regulation of the phenomenon of "Lobbying", both during the legislative process and in the design and implementation of the Transparency Register, the Governor of the NTA, Mr. Angelos Binis, noted that "the primary objective of the National Audit Office, is to have the online platform operational soon, in order to identify and address challenges from the implementation phase, taking into account feedback from users, both from private sector entities and from public administration officials who will be called upon to meet the requirements of the Registry".
Mr. Binis stressed that the NTA will not only be the owner of the platform but also the "custodian" of the correct implementation of the provisions of the law. Referring to the institutional framework, he noted that "there has been wide consultation with foreign bodies, international organizations, European Union countries, but also outside the EU, such as Canada, which have a long tradition in this area, pre-consultation with civil society bodies and professional associations, and that a series of tools such as a code of conduct and guidelines have been prepared to facilitate those involved in the implementation of this project".
Ms. Avgi Economidou, Senior Advisor Business Environment and Regulatory Policies Sector at Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), noted that "SEV supported in principle the legislative initiative for the regulation of influence activities, as it supports any initiative that aims to improve transparency, accountability and quality of market-state relations. Influencing activities are a useful tool through which the public administration is fully informed about the needs and demands of the market. The most critical point remains the overall upgrade of the country's lawmaking process, with the regulation of lobbying being only a small part of a broader design of interventions aimed at better decision-making and greater transparency."
Mr. Theodoros Georgakopoulos, Content Director, diaNEOSIS noted that "it is extremely important to have an institutional framework for the overlooked issue of lobbying. The initiative is undoubtedly positive". In his statement, Mr. Georgakopoulos referred to two things: the role of independent, non-profit organizations such as diaNeOsis - which is not paid for its research work, and therefore does not fall within the definition of the law - and the problem of polygamy and maladministration, which creates fertile ground for opacity and the development of clientelism between various interests and the state.
Mr. George Flessas, Senior Consultant, during his presentation, said that if there was lobbying in Greece, the Greek market would be the best for lobbyists, due to its many laws. As he noted, "one in ten clients would be fine and given the bureaucracy and polygamy that characterizes the Greek reality". Flessas continued by saying that, "my political position is that the more the state increases its involvement and intervention in things, especially in a public administration that is influenced by its political leadership, the more corruption and maladministration increases". Speaking on the lobbying law, he said that "the principle is half of everything, it is in the right direction, but on the other hand, small first steps are needed to enable the state to achieve its objectives and regulate this area."
Mr. Stefanos Loukopoulos, Director/Co-Founder of Vouli Watch, said that "lobbying under certain conditions can be an important aspect of the functioning of democracy, in the sense that through it, the possibility of influencing and co-shaping policies and decisions is given to a wide range of social and professional groups. At the same time, of course, lobbying can lead to abuse of influence, unfair competition and capture of the legislative process to the detriment of the public interest and the quality of public policies. The need to establish robust legislative and regulatory frameworks is therefore imperative if we want to ensure integrity in decision-making processes and to substantially enhance pluralism."
Ms. Anastasia Sotiropoulou, Legal Associate to the Governor of the National Transparency Authority, presented the institutional framework for the regulation of influence activities following the introduction of Law no. 4829/2021, highlighting the legal gap that existed before its adoption. He stressed the need for the introduction of the regulation to delimit the activities of influence and prevent unfair practices such as capturing public politicians, corruption and manipulation of public opinion. Ms. Sotiropoulou referred to the best practices in force at national, international and European level that were taken into account for the formulation of the law, and presented its objectives, scope of application and its individual structural features.
Mr. Ioannis Staikouras, Executive of the General Directorate of Integrity & Accountability, National Transparency Authority, presented the main features and functions of the Transparency Register. The Transparency Register, he said, "will be an electronic database that will function as an online platform. This platform is being developed by specialized staff of the NAT and the General Secretariat for Information Systems & Digital Governance It will offer the possibility for representatives of interests, falling within the scope of Law no. 4829/21, to register in the Transparency Register using only their TAXIS codes, without the requirement to submit additional documents. The registration process will be completed in a very short time and the relevant registration certificate will be issued in digital format" He continued by stressing that "it will be allowed to register the influence activities carried out by the interest representatives throughout the year, in order to facilitate the final submission of the annual declaration of activities in a predetermined period of time. In addition, citizens will be able to freely search the details of registered interest representatives and the influence activities that will be declared annually. Finally, the Transparency Register will be offered as a service through the gov.gr Single Digital Portal."
The discussion was moderated by Mr. Christos Kourtis, Head of the Directorate for Integrity Standards Policies of the NTA.
The audience attending the workshop had the opportunity to participate in an online voting through the online platform "mentimeter" with the results fueling an interesting exchange of views between the speakers.
The results of the online voting are attached.
You can watch the entire debate at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4xeQNYKC1s