Bulgaria moves to create public register of lobbying meetings

Bulgarian lawmakers on Tuesday approved at first reading a proposal to create a public register of meetings between government officials and interest representatives, commonly referred to as lobbyists.

The changes are included in the Draft Law on Transparency and Integrity in Governance, widely known as Bulgaria’s lobbying law. The bill was submitted by GERB and is linked to the country’s fourth payment under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The legislation is also part of the conditions for Bulgaria’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

At the same time, a similar draft law was approved by the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria. The two proposals are expected to be merged and refined between the first and second readings in parliament.