The operation Influencer has continued the debate on the legalization and regulation of the activities of lobbying (“legitimate advocacy”, in national “legalese”), and this Sunday the PCP once again expressed its opposition, with the party’s leader, Paulo Raimundo, arguing that this is “legalization of crime”. “It’s remarkable that in light of these deals that are now coming to the fore, in light of the promiscuity, in light of influence peddling, in light of all this, what we want to do today is simply legalize and all these crimes that are at the top of the table,” he said at a lunch meeting in Faro.
However, the truth is, with or without opposition from the PCP, the regulation of lobbying will be back on the parliamentary agenda in the next parliamentary term. Luís Montenegro has already promised that he will do that and within the PS there are people who support him (José Luís Carneiro).
“It is not a solution that corresponds to the need for transparency in a democratic constitutional state to act as if there were no organized pressure groups.”
Another relevant fact is that there was even a law that was approved during a global final vote in Parliament (with the votes in favor of the PS and the CDS-PP, the abstention of the PSD and the votes against by the BE). , PCP, PEV and PAN) on June 7, 2019. This law was not implemented because it was vetoed by the President of the Republic (and when he returned to Parliament, the legislative power and therefore the legislative process ended).
However, Marcelo did not veto it because he was against the regulation of this activity. On the contrary. It even seemed to respond to the PCP’s arguments message which he sent to the delegates: “It is not a solution that corresponds to the need for transparency in a democratic state governed by the rule of law, to act as if there were no organized pressure groups, whose representatives are duly rewarded for acting or failing to influence political office holders and others in public office.” What must be done, according to the president, is therefore “to legally discipline this reality.”
The problem, he said, is that the approved law – which emerged from a CDS-PP initiative in 2016 – had “three essential gaps”.
The first would be the fact that companies that legally register as legitimate interest representatives do not have to declare that “all interests are represented, but only the most important ones”. This would allow the representative of an interest, Marcelo argued, to claim that it was not a main interest that led him to exercise his activity alongside the holder of a political office or other public office.
The President also noted a “total omission” regarding “the declaration of income received by the registrant by virtue of advocacy.” Just as politicians are subject to ‘demanding’ obligations when declaring their income, the same should be ‘required’ of companies lobbying and their holders.
The last omission, Marcelo concluded, would be the “most important”. The approved law did not concern the representation of interests for the Presidency of the Republic and representatives of the Republic (and their offices) in the autonomous regions. As for Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, this should fall under the “identity of the reasons”, as both bodies are subject to general transparency laws.
Source: DN
