In March, Bulgaria adopted its first comprehensive legislative framework governing interest representation activities, marking a significant milestone after more than two decades of unsuccessful attempts to regulate the sector. Since the early 2000s, various initiatives have sought to introduce rules on lobbying, but political sensitivities and lack of consensus repeatedly stalled progress. The adoption of the law was ultimately accelerated by commitments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), positioning the reform as part of broader efforts to enhance transparency, accountability and good governance.
The newly adopted Law on Transparency in Interest Representation establishes a targeted regulatory framework while deliberately avoiding the term “lobbying” due to its negative connotations in the country. It defines interest representation as communication aimed at influencing policymaking at national, EU and international levels and introduces a set of concrete transparency mechanisms. These include a mandatory public register of interest representatives, managed by the National Audit Office, obligations for disclosure of meetings with public officials, and reporting of financial expenditures related to such activities. The framework applies across central and local authorities. Building on earlier drafts and subsequent revisions, the law also narrows the range of regulated activities and introduces explicit exemptions for actors such as legal professionals, journalists, trade unions, employers’ organisations, and participants in public consultations. This approach seeks to address concerns raised during the legislative process regarding potential overlaps with civic advocacy and risks of overregulation. Critics pointed to remaining ambiguities in distinguishing lobbying from civil society engagement and questioned its overall effectiveness as an anti-corruption instrument. Moreover, Transparency International – Bulgaria issued an official appeal to the President to veto the law based on concerns of contradictions with both the Constitution and EU law. The next procedural step is the law’s promulgation in the state gazette.
This act is particularly important for the BBCC, as we are actively engaged in advocacy initiatives in support of the business environment in Bulgaria. BBCC has participated in discussions related to the act and has submitted argumented positions led by our Board member Diana Pazaitova, Fama Consulting, Gergana Aneva, Rud Pedersen, and Dennitsa Dimitrova, Kambourov & Partners. We are delighted to share that most of the amendments suggested by BBCC have been included in the regulation. We would like to thank our members who contributed to this important initiative for the collaboration and professionalism.