Policies Governing Lobbying 101: Roundtable on March 9

07.03.2022

The roundtables will convene Members of the Riigikogu, civil society, and international experts to raise awareness about and better understand policies and practices in the areas of lobbying and preventing conflicts of interest in legislative activities, with an aim to develop concrete recommendations as a logical follow-up to the guidelines adopted by the executive sector. 

Roundtables are co-organized by Transparency International Estonia (TI Estonia), the Anti-Corruption Select Committee of the Parliament of Estonia, and the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn.

Location: Zoom with live streaming on Riigikogu's website and TI Estonia's Facebook

Language: Estonia with synchronized interpretation EN-EE-EN

Roundtable One. Policies Governing Lobbying 101

NB! Tim has changed a bit. We will meet on: 9 March 2022 at 9:50 -11:50 am

The aim of the first roundtable is to discuss the role that ethical lobbying plays in democracy and good governance. Experts will explain international standards and discuss paths to enhance transparency through the regulation of lobbying activities. Members of Parliament will share their vision on lobbying and transparency efforts in Estonia. 

Agenda

9:30-9:45 Welcoming words

- Eduard Odinets (Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Select Committee of the Parliament)

- Brian Roraff (Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Tallinn)

- Steven-Hristo Evestus (Chairman of the Board of TI Estonia)

9:45-10:05 How is Lobby Transparency Related to Trust, Anti-Corruption, and Internal Security?

Lioubov Samokhina, Senior Legal Adviser, GRECO

10:05-10:20 Analysis of the Current Disclosure Practices in Estonia

Mari-Liis Sööt, Ministry of Justice and Carina Paju, TI Estonia

10:20-10:45 On Path to Regulating Lobbying in Latvia: Why and How?

Inese Voika from Saeima

10:45-11:45 Mitigating Risks of Undue Influence

Moderated discussion by Elsa Leiten with:

- Members of the Anti-Corruption Select Committee of the Parliament

- Ando Leppiman (Secretary General, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications)

- Andreas Kaju (Co-founder and Partner, Meta Advisory)

- Meelis Ratassepp (Head of Bureau, Internal Security Services of Estonia)

11:45-11:50 Closing Remarks