Three types of codes of conduct affect the operation of lobbyists in a number of countries. The least coercive are the professional codes adopted in several jurisdictions by associations that have been organized by lobbyists themselves. Consequently, though some associations of lobbyists have attempted to discipline disobedient practitioners, the open nature of the business and public ignorance of professional codes has rendered their efforts largely ineffective.

Author : William F. Jasper (The New American)

The U.S. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has several levels of corporate membership: Founders, President's Circle, Premium Members and Associates.  All corporate executive members have opportunities to hear distinguished speakers, such as overseas Presidents and Prime Ministers, Chairmen and CEOs of multinational corporations, and US officials and Congressmen. President and Premium Members are also entitled to other benefits, including attendance at small, private dinners or receptions with senior American officials and world leaders

Founders

BEPACT stands for Belgian Public Affairs Community and wants to gather Public Affairs professionals in Belgium a few times a year in order to allow them to share their knowledge and experience in an ethical way. Bepact aims to increase the reputation of the Public Affairs profession, and therefore attaches great value to the ethical behavior of its members.

Founding Members

Austria

• Austrian Lobbying & Public Affairs Council (ALPAC) www.alpac.at
• Public Relations Association of Austria (PRVA) www.prva.at

Belgium

• Belgian Public Affairs Community (BEPACT) www.bepact.be/en/
• Belgium Association of Public Relations Consultancies (BPRCA) www.bprca.be

Bulgaria

Austria: The Austrian Bundesrat passed "Transparenzpaket" (Transparency package) on 28.06.2012, which took effect on 1 January 2013. This package comprises a series of transparency-related laws, among them the so called "LobbyG" regulating lobbying and interest representation and introducing a register. The transparency package was drafted under high political and public pressure and there was little time for expert debates.

The types of voting equipment used in the United States vary significantly from state to state. Some jurisdictions use electronic devices to record votes. Others use traditional paper ballots, and others still use neither and vote by e-mail.

The following types of voting equipment are used in the United States:

EPIN is a network of European think tanks and policy institutes with members in most Member States and Candidate Countries of the European Union.

Currently there are 41 EPIN members from 27 countries, within and outside of the EU. The 'hard core' work of the network is based on the cooperation of about 15 most active institutes. The member institutes are quite diverse in size and structure, but are all characterized by political independence and the absence of any predetermined point of view or political affiliation.

Source: Transparency International Deutschland e.V. (2013)

It is difficult to precisely define the scope and intensity of lobbying in Germany, as no reliable figures are available. One difficulty lies in the fact that there is still no clarification as to who can be called a lobbyist. This is the challenge faced by future legal regulations regarding the registration, transparency and codes of conduct for lobbyists.

The following estimates can be assumed: