ATTEMPT TO REGULATE LOBBYING IN ARMENIA
By Tamar Minasian
AZG Armenian Daily #178
05/10/2005
Legislative Initiative on Discussion Table
The approval of the draft law on lobbying activities by the Armenian
Government on September 22 set in motion social discussions on
this issue.
The Armenian Government and UNDP organized discussion of the draft
law yesterday. In the first instance Ashot Abovian, deputy justice
minister and head of the draft workgroup, presented the draft law
and the work done. “The law will enable wider groups of the society
to protect their interests, to carry out lobbying activities or order
specialized persons/groups to do that”, the deputy minister said. He
assured that the law will mark a serious breakthrough in the country’s
jural practice.
Aramayis Kocharian, coordinator of Partnership for Open Society NGO,
said: “There are no shaped mechanisms to protect rights and interests
and no legislative guarantees for protection in Armenia. Given this
situation, adoption of a law that enforces protection of a person’s
interests can make the state officials or legislator consider only
advices of those engaged in lobbying activities neglecting interests
and proposals of the society, citizens and members of the business
environment”.
Hrayr Tovmasian, representative of “Democracy” NGO, said that lobbying
and the activities of companies engaged in lobbying are legislatively
regulated only in countries (USA, Canada) where there was a necessity
of official information on financial flows from lobbyists during
election campaigns. “If the law applies to NGOs then I should say
that this issue already has a legal stand as the NGOs present their
reports on financial operations”. The draft law, Mr. Tovmasian thinks,
does not clearly outline the borders of lobbying. The NGOs, which
influence the legislative body by their public discussions and social
arrangements, will in fact be considered lobbyists by the law. He
thinks that the important thing to do now is to specify the issue;
everything else is of technical handling.
All sides participating in the discussion expressed readiness to make
written suggestions for a perfect law.