There are 16 registered lobbyists in Montenegro, as well as two companies authorized to perform this activity, and their income last year amounted to zero euros, because they did not sign a single lobbying contract.
This stems from the annual reports submitted by lobbyists to the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (ASK), which "Vijesti" had access to.
The Lobbying Law stipulates that reports on work for the previous year must be submitted by January 31st of the following year. The ASK, the body responsible for this area, told the newspaper that a misdemeanor case was filed against one lobbyist for failing to submit the report within the prescribed deadline.
They state that they believe that responsible and lawful lobbying is an important segment in the decision-making process, but also an area that can carry certain risks.
"Therefore, the Agency, through supervision and recommendations, seeks to improve the understanding and implementation of the Lobbying Law, both among decision-makers and the public. In this context, cooperation with the civil sector and the media plays a key role, as it contributes to better information and strengthening the integrity of institutions," they assessed.
ONLY ONE “ORDER”
ASK says they are continuously monitoring this area, "to ensure transparency and legality."
When asked whether they had been reported suspected of illegal lobbying during the past year, ASK responded that they had one such report, but that after the procedure was conducted, it was determined to be unfounded.
In the register of lobbying clients, which is available on the ASK website, there is only one request for this, submitted by the non-governmental organization (NGO) “Parents Association”. The subject of lobbying is the Criminal Code (CC), i.e. the provisions therein relating to minors and children. However, it is not known when this request was submitted. According to unofficial information from “Vijesti”, this NGO requested stricter penalties in the mentioned section of the CC, but this lobbying attempt was stopped.
Before the adoption of the new law, the newspaper was unofficially told by the ASK that there were a large number of informal and unregulated lobbyists in the business sector, and that many companies had a person who dealt with lobbying, even though their official title was not such.
Possession of a certificate of passing the lobbying exam, issued by the ASK, is one of the mandatory requirements for a natural person to engage in this activity.
"Vijesti" contacted several registered lobbyists to ask them why they had no work or income, but none of them wanted to speak officially about it.
One of them said unofficially that the current state administration is not ready for lobbying. He claims that a certain number of people who have passed the state exam required to engage in lobbying have not registered in the public register on the ASK website, and that politicians are misusing the term lobbying, putting it in a negative context. He estimates that the lobbying process was designed to be transparent, but that, as such, it has not taken root.
AND LOBBYED TO CONTACT ASK
The Lobbying Law was originally adopted in 2014, and a new regulation of the same name was passed in June last year, as part of the so-called IBAR Law, the passage of which was necessary for Montenegro to make progress in negotiations with the European Union (EU).
As stated on the ASK website, the law primarily "promotes the principles of publicity, confidentiality, association, integrity and avoidance of conflicts of interest". According to the new regulation, lobbying is defined as an activity undertaken with the aim of influencing legislative and executive authorities at the state or local level, state administration bodies, independent bodies, regulatory bodies, public institutions...
According to this act, influence can also be exerted on other legal entities that exercise public powers, or activities of public interest or are state-owned, in the process of adopting laws, other regulations and acts within the jurisdiction of those authorities, in order to achieve the interests of the lobbying client.
Lobbying can be carried out by a person who has a permit to perform this activity issued in accordance with the law, as well as a company or NGO that meets the requirements prescribed by law (a legal entity that performs lobbying activities), and lobbying can also be carried out by a person employed by the client of the lobbying (an internal lobbyist).
A lobbied person is considered any official whose appointment was approved by one of the three government bodies, including MPs and councilors.
The lobbyist is obliged to submit an official note on the lobbying contact to the ASK within five days of the contact with the lobbyist, as well as to inform the Agency of the suspicion of the existence of unauthorized lobbying. ASK then initiates a procedure in which it is decided whether unauthorized lobbying or a violation of other provisions of the law has occurred. The authority is obliged to publish information on lobbying contacts on its website
The new law also regulates the lobbying procedure - from issuing a lobbying order and specifying what the order must contain, to specifying cases when the lobbying client, lobbyist or legal entity performing lobbying activities must stop lobbying, terminate the contract or invalidate the order.
The lobbyist is obliged to submit an official note on the lobbying contact to the ASK within five days of the contact with the lobbyist, as well as to inform the Agency of the suspicion of the existence of unauthorized lobbying. ASK then initiates a procedure in which it is decided whether unauthorized lobbying or a violation of other provisions of the law has occurred. The authority is obliged to publish information on lobbying contacts (lobbied person, lobbyist, subject of lobbying, etc.) on its website.
Some of the above provisions were not in the law in force until recently, some have been redefined, and some have been tightened.
SPENT 343 MILLION IN THE EU, 4,4 BILLION IN THE USA
With the signing of the Lisbon Treaty in 2007, which reformed the structure of the EU, lobbying in that community became an integral part of political decision-making and the legislative process.
In 2008, the European Commission introduced a voluntary register of lobbyists, which in 2011 grew into a joint register with the European Parliament, allowing the public to gain insight into lobbyists' activities.
Since January 2019, the European Parliament has adopted binding rules on lobbying transparency, requiring MEPs to publish meetings with lobbyists. According to the Corporate Europe Observatory, at least €343 million was spent on lobbying in the EU last year.
In the United States, Radio Free Europe reports that lobbying is a key component of the political system there, allowing various interest groups to influence legislative and executive processes. In 2024, total lobbying spending in the United States was $4,4 billion, according to data from the OpenSecrets website (opensecrets.org).
Lobbying plays a particularly large role in US presidential elections, and is associated with the so-called political action committees (PACs) and super PACs, which participate in campaign financing. They collect donations from members of the Republican and Democratic parties, and one member can donate up to $5.000 per candidate per year. On the other hand, super PACs can raise and spend unlimited funds, provided that they do not coordinate directly with candidates or their campaigns.
During the 2024 presidential election, super PACs had a significant impact on the outcome of the vote. Billionaire Elon Musk has donated about $238,5 million to political organizations supporting the new-old US president Donald TrumpThese funds were mainly directed towards increasing voter turnout in so-called fragile states, writes Brussels-based Politiko.
Bonus video:
