Increasingly in recent years, businesses and other organizations have sought to understand the complex nature of the legal relationships between the European Commission, EU member states and the European Parliament, and to engage more effectively with “government,” whether at local, national or European levels.
Some governments across Europe have been stepping up to address this challenge by providing guidance as to how businesses can best engage with public bodies in their own jurisdictions. It is particularly welcome to see the Czech government, towards the end of last year, finalize its new Lobbying Act, which is intended to shed light on the process of legislation and define more clearly the parameters of lobbying and advocacy with government.