The Diplomat
The book ‘Manual of the Good Lobbyist’, authored by brothers Jorge and José María Fernández-Rúa, was presented this week at the Congress of Deputies, and stresses that lobbying is fundamental to democracy and that it is necessary to bring the profession out of the obscurantism in which it lives in Spain.
Taking part in the event, along with the authors, managing partners of the consultancy firm Cariotipo, were Ana Pastor, Vice-President of the Lower House of Parliament; Carlos Aragonés, President of the Joint Committee on National Defence of Congress; and Professor of Political Science and Administration at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and director of Transparency International Spain.
The presentation highlighted that lobbying is a common and legitimate practice in the process of democratic participation and decision-making by public authorities and that its work provides valuable technical information to the different social and economic agents responsible for the development of public policies.
The authors of the Manual stated that lobbying facilitates participation in democracy and, therefore, contributes to strengthening its quality, and pointed out that their intention in publishing the book is to provide a rigorous vision of a professional activity that is as little known as it is necessary in Spain. They added that it aims to neutralise the negative image of the sector and to share their experience in order to bring this work out of a shadowy area which, in their opinion, only creates unfair suspicions.
Thus, they explained that there is a lot of work to be done to ensure that the legislator, before making his or her decisions, has all the options, analyses and effects of what he or she has to legislate on his or her table. And that they have received them without questioning their own integrity or hidden agendas on the part of those who provide them. Light and stenographers instead of obscurantism and shadows, which only provoke suspicion, is the formula proposed by the directors of Cariotipo to remove the term ‘lobbyist’ from the negative connotations it is supposed to have.
The Fernández-Rúa brothers believe that it is absurd to expect a political representative to have full knowledge of the various issues on which he or she must work. And they add that, even in the hypothetical case that they only have to lead one, it will be so complex that it is impossible for one person to have a sufficient level of knowledge to be able to make decisions on a continuous basis. Moreover, they point out that their advisory teams need to be constantly updated on the sectors.
The authors of the book also point out that the Spanish business ecosystem still does not recognise the value of lobbying activity and point out that one only has to take a look at the Management Committees of the main companies to see that they do not have experts in this area. “And this is a shortcoming, because in companies in heavily regulated sectors, being well informed of political developments is an obligation,” they say. This knowledge,” they add, “is essential for corporate decision-making. Action rather than reaction is the best formula for companies”.
The Manual of the Good Lobbyist’ also offers a detailed study of how to act as a lobbyist, what tools to use and how to serve as a link between civil society and politicians who have the obligation to take decisions that affect everyone, as well as some reflections on the control of the so-called revolving doors.
The EU Transparency Register has grown considerably since its inception and currently has more than 12,500 registered entities (2020). In addition, it is estimated that more than 50,000 professionals are active in the European Institutions.
In relation to the US, the number of registered lobbyists active on Capitol Hill is estimated at around 12,500 (2021). On the other hand, the budget of the various entities active in lobbying is close to USD 3.8 billion per year. The most active sectors are pharmaceuticals and medical devices, electronics manufacturing (hardware and software), and insurance.
In Spain, the absence of national regulation, on the one hand, and the heterogeneity of regional and local regulations, on the other, makes it very difficult to offer consolidated data on the activity in our country. The only national registry is that of the CNMC, which is voluntary and has 592 registered entities; and the regional registry with the largest number of registered entities, and the longest active period, is that of Catalonia, with more than 4,500 entities.
