Publication: Lobbying regulations : Practices of the Council of Europe countries and a suggested model for Türkiye
Abstract
Lobiciliğin karar almayı tamamlayıcı bir mekanizma olduğu bilinmektedir ve karar vermenin çoğulcu, şeffaf, hesap verebilir, etik olması ve uzman görüşünün karar alma süreçlerine dahil edilmesi gibi birçok açıdan faydalı olduğu ileri sürülebilir. Lobicilik mevzuata bağlı olarak yapılabileceği gibi, mevzuata uyulmaksızın da gerçekleştirilebilmektedir. Bu bağlamda, birçok ülke lobicilik faaliyetlerini yasal bağlamda düzenlemeyi tercih ederken, bazıları bunu yapmamaktadır. Ancak, lobicilik faaliyetleri düzenlenmediğinde lobicilik mekanizmasından sağlanabilecek faydalar göz ardı edilebilmektedir. Bu bağlamda Avrupa Konseyi (AK), üye devletlerin lobi faaliyetlerine yönelik düzenlemeleri tasarlarken dikkate almaları gereken önerileri ortaya koyan “CM/ Rec(2017)2” numaralı “Bakanlar Komitesinin üye devletlere kamusal karar alma bağlamında lobi faaliyetlerine ilişkin yasal düzenlemeye ilişkin tavsiyesi” başlıklı bir tavsiye kararı yayınlamıştır. Öte yandan, yalnızca 13 üye devletin lobicilik özelinde, lobicilik faaliyetlerini düzenleyen düzenlemeleri bulunmaktadır. Bunun yanısıra, geçmişte Macaristan’da lobicilik faaliyetleri düzenlenmekteyken söz konusu yasa yürürlükten kaldırılmıştır. Ayrıca, lobicilik düzenlemeleri bulunmayan ancak lobicilik mekanizmasının yalnızca bazı unsurlarını düzenleyen bazı ülkeler de bulunmaktadır. Bu bağlamda Türkiye'deki hukuk sisteminde ne özel bir lobicilik düzenlemesi bulunmakta ne de lobicilik mekanizmasına ilişkin bazı unsurlar düzenlenmektedir. Bu doğrultuda, bu tez Almanya, Avusturya, Birleşik Krallık, Fransa, Gürcistan, İrlanda, Karadağ, Güney Kıbrıs Rum Kesimi (GKRY), Kuzey Makedonya, Litvanya, Macaristan, Polonya, Sırbistan, Slovenya’nın lobicilik düzenlemelerini ve AK’nin CM/ Rec(2017)2 sayılı tavsiye kararını incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ek olarak, lobicilik özelinde yasal düzenlemesi bulunmayan ancak lobicilik mekanizmasının bazı unsurlarını düzenleyen üye devletlere ilişkin bilgiler de tezde sunulmuştur. Son olarak incelenen düzenlemelerden önemli noktalar bir araya getirilerek Türkiye için tasarlanacak en uygun lobicilik düzenlemesine ilişkin öneriler sunulmaktadır.
It is known that lobbying is a mechanism complementary to decision-making and is suggested to be helpful for various aspects, including making decision-making pluralist, transparent, accountable, ethical, and incorporating expert opinion into the decision-making processes. While lobbying could be performed subject to the regulations, it could also be performed without having to obey the regulations. In this regard, many countries choose to regulate lobbying activities, while others do not. However, once the lobbying activities are not regulated, the benefits that could be released from the lobbying mechanism might be disregarded. In this context, the Council of Europe (CoE) issued a recommendation numbered “CM/ Rec(2017)2” titled “Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on the Legal Regulation of Lobbying Activities in the Context of Public Decision Making,” which sets out suggestions for the member states to consider when designing regulations targeting lobbying activities. On the other hand, only 13 member states have dedicated regulations governing lobbying activities, plus Hungary, which repealed its lobbying law. Additionally, there are some countries that do not have lobbying regulations but only regulate some elements of the lobbying mechanism. Regarding the context, the legal system in Türkiye neither has dedicated lobbying regulations nor regulates some elements related to lobbying mechanisms. In this regard, this thesis attempts to examine the existing lobbying regulations of Austria, the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC), France, Germany, Georgia, Ireland, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and Hungary, along with CM/ Rec (2017)2 by the CoE. Additionally, the thesis presents information on the regulations of other Member States that are not dedicated to governing lobbying activities but still regulate some components of the lobbying mechanism; and finally presents suggestions regarding an optimal lobbying regulation to be designed for Türkiye by gathering key points from the examined regulations.
It is known that lobbying is a mechanism complementary to decision-making and is suggested to be helpful for various aspects, including making decision-making pluralist, transparent, accountable, ethical, and incorporating expert opinion into the decision-making processes. While lobbying could be performed subject to the regulations, it could also be performed without having to obey the regulations. In this regard, many countries choose to regulate lobbying activities, while others do not. However, once the lobbying activities are not regulated, the benefits that could be released from the lobbying mechanism might be disregarded. In this context, the Council of Europe (CoE) issued a recommendation numbered “CM/ Rec(2017)2” titled “Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on the Legal Regulation of Lobbying Activities in the Context of Public Decision Making,” which sets out suggestions for the member states to consider when designing regulations targeting lobbying activities. On the other hand, only 13 member states have dedicated regulations governing lobbying activities, plus Hungary, which repealed its lobbying law. Additionally, there are some countries that do not have lobbying regulations but only regulate some elements of the lobbying mechanism. Regarding the context, the legal system in Türkiye neither has dedicated lobbying regulations nor regulates some elements related to lobbying mechanisms. In this regard, this thesis attempts to examine the existing lobbying regulations of Austria, the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC), France, Germany, Georgia, Ireland, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and Hungary, along with CM/ Rec (2017)2 by the CoE. Additionally, the thesis presents information on the regulations of other Member States that are not dedicated to governing lobbying activities but still regulate some components of the lobbying mechanism; and finally presents suggestions regarding an optimal lobbying regulation to be designed for Türkiye by gathering key points from the examined regulations.