Ensuring lobbying transparency (FR0108)

What is the public problem that the commitment will address? The Sapin 2 Act marked a turning point in the regulation of lobbying activities in France. Since 1 July 2017, socioeconomic stakeholders seeking to influence the content of a public decision by entering into contact with public officials must be included in a digital register of interest representatives accessible via the HATVP’s website. Required information includes details on their organisation, lobbying activities and the resources devoted to them. This register “ensure[s] that citizens are informed of the relations between interest representatives and public authorities” (as referred to in Article 18-1 of the Transparency in Public Life Act 2013- 907 of 11 October 2013). However, since the creation of the register, the HATVP has observed persistent problems with the system in place, to the extent that the register does not really measure the impact of lobbying activities on the normative process.

What is the commitment? By using data declared by interest representatives, the HATVP seeks to ensure a better restitution of the socalled normative footprint and, in doing so, increase the transparency of public decision-making. Its primary aim is to provide citizens with useful information on how laws and regulations are made.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem? The HATVP will implement the commitment by taking steps to make it easier to use and understand the register’s data, as well as to have a grasp of citizens’ expectations concerning the normative footprint and provide more extensive information on lobbying activities in France: - Publish at least once per half-year an analysis created using data declared by interest representatives to show “who influences the law”, how they do so and with what resources (2021–2023) - Produce an annual report augmented with information declared by interest representatives (2021–2023) - Hold a consultation to elicit citizens’ expectations regarding the normative footprint (Q3&4 2022) - Improve access to data from the register of interest representatives (search engine and filters) to make the data easier to use and to help citizens more easily find the information that interests them (Q3&4 2022) - Implement the register’s extension to local and regional authorities (July 2022) - Hold, with the help of other partners, a hackathon or a data session on government data relating to the normative footprint (Q1&2 2023) - Enhance the register’s data visualisation tools (Q1&2 2023)

Why is this commitment relevant to OGP values? Lobbying gives everyone the opportunity to make their views heard, defend their beliefs or contribute their expertise, and potentially influence public decisionmaking. Ensuring the transparency of lobbying, by informing citizens of who influences the law and how they do so, is a key requirement of democracy. The purpose of strengthening the transparency of lobbying activities in France is also to ensure that relations between interest representatives and public officials are carried out in compliance with ethics rules. Lastly, by involving civil society in discussions on the normative footprint, the HATVP seeks to better grasp citizens’ expectations in this area, so as to provide them with relevant information.

Action Plan Review

Commitment 58. Ensure lobbying transparency

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● Potential for results: Modest