Mr. János Bertók:

We are closer to the reality now and this is to consider the impact of any legislation. To start with the wider picture, lobbying is not considered as a positive activity. In the wider society registration - declaring someone who is doing lobbying - is not necessarily considered to be a positive activity, although there is a high recognition that lobbying could provide invaluable information and support and inform decisions. However, the lobbying profession is struggling with the perception that it is using undue influence to capture certain interests and promote against the public interest. In the United Kingdom, for example, we heard that reputable people do not want to be registered. They do not want to be part of this because they do not want to be seen to be part of a so-called dubious business. That shows again that there is a psychological dimension in that the impact of the registration not only could be impacting the process in terms of certain costs, time, etc., but that the social cost could be a very considerable factor in terms of whether to be part of the system.

As I mentioned, countries are moving in an incremental way. Few countries have a very wide scope because of the burdens and the costs. For that reason they tend to focus on identifying the highest risk for possible capture. For example, in terms of where the big money is involved it is the multinational corporations. These are the professional lobbyists. This is the most common answer to cover these actors. However, in some cases there are also other considerations. I have never heard small and medium enterprises, SMEs, as a consideration. They might be a consideration in some countries but I have never heard about certain advocacy groups, whether environmental or social, being a consideration because they are considered as promoting the wider public interest.

I can give the committee the other perspective. Professional lobbyists, whether in the industry or professional as an independent, have a point when they explain that some of the major civil society organisations have much more money and resources to shape the public debate than a multinational organisation. That comes back to the point about the level playing field. However, it is in the members' hands to understand the risks and the concerns, whether economic, commercial or societal, and strike that balance. They should keep in mind that it is not over-burdened by the process or by the verified scope of the system because experience shows that it has a consequence.