Mr. János Bertók:

First, the entry point is to provide information about the sources of input in the development of the draft policy. That is like a footprint which is increasingly used, not only at the European level but also in countries. For example, in Germany or Austria, both continental European countries, this is an important transparency tool. What level of information in addition is provided, which is not only who participated and what were the sources of the information but how these were considered and how these were built, is also part of the policy debate. This is how the legislature can require from the executive branch what type of information he or she needs to make an informed an decision, for example, what is the ex ante assessment of the potential impact.

I will give one more perspective because Senator Barrett mentioned regulatory impact assessment.

Not many countries use ex-anteregulatory impact analysis for lobbying legislation. One of the reasons I mention it is the question of urgency. A scandal may arise and the government or the parliament needs to commence the process with urgency. Last year legislation was passed in Austria on lobbying and transparency and a regulatory impact analysis was used. Canada is using a kind of sunshine specific process, whereby every five years it requires an assessment of the impact and function of legislation, including legislation on lobbying. The most recent assessment was conducted this year. It has assessed not only implementation but also the impact of lobbying legislation and regulation.