In Spain it is a widely held belief that money buys influence in politics. Similarly, the perception that business and corruption go hand in hand is also widespread (EU Anti-Corruption Report, European Commission 2014). According to the 2013 Eurobarometer, 77% of Spaniards believe that corruption is part of the country’s business culture, while 67% believe that the only way to succeed in business is through political connections. Moreover, a staggering 84% of people believe that bribery and connections are the easiest way to obtain public services.

Companies and individuals with the means and the ability to influence public decisions in Portugal can do so without any fear of restrictions or regulation. Lobbying is not regulated, and the issue has not even reached the public debate. Construction and public works, the financial sector and energy are identified as sectors in which dubious lobbying practices occur more frequently.

Generally speaking there is a lack of quantitative or qualitative information available on lobbying actors in France. Nevertheless parliamentary registers as well as the list of members of lobbyists’ associations : Association Française des Cabinets de Lobbying (AFCL), Network BASE (Business Action and European Strategy, Association professionnelle des Responsables des relations avec les Pouvoirs publics (ARPP), Association des Avocats Lobbyistes (AAL) allow the gathering of a few information.

D’une manière générale, on constate un manque d’informations quantitatives ou qualitatives disponibles sur les acteurs du lobbying en France. Néanmoins, les registres parlementaires ainsi que la liste des membres des associations de lobbyistes: Association Française des Cabinets de Lobbying (AFCL), réseau BASE (Business Action et Stratégie Européenne), Association professionnelle des Responsables des relations avec les Pouvoirs publics (ARPP), Association des Avocats Lobbyistes (AAL) permettent de réunir quelques informations.

The main lobbyists in Estonia are trade and industry associations, private enterprises, consultant lobby firms and civil society organizations. Trade unions, industry associations and professional unions are the oldest and most transparent lobby groups in the country. Further distinction is made between in-house lobbyists and consultant lobbyists. Larger businesses (usually multinational) employ lawyers or have PR departments. In addition, personal contributions from CEOs are considered highly effective when lobbying politicians.

The lack of legal regulation of lobbying is a complex deficiency in the German political system, and measures relating to the regulation and transparency of lobbying need to apply for both the policymakers (the party being influenced) and the influencer (the lobbyist).

The lack of comprehensive lobbying regulation and the practice of lobbying are worrisome signs that indicate the vulnerability of democratic decision-making processes in Hungary. In the current Hungarian situation, state capture is combined with cronyism. In this special type of state capture the extensive and expansive state has been in symbiosis with some powerful business groups and oligarchs.

Lobbying in Cyprus remains unregulated and shrouded in secrecy; there is no legislation or regulation. Due to the lack of any lobbying regulation, there is no specific obligation to register lobbyists or publicly disclose the interaction between public officials and lobbyists. There is also no self-regulation of lobbyists activities and Cyprus has no professional association of lobbyists.

There are between 3000 and 4000 people professionally engaged in lobbying in Austria: 60% of them work in the chambers, an estimated 15% work in-house, about 15% work for associations and the remaining five to 10% are self-employed „agency lobbyists“. A 2014 survey of 357 members of the Economic Forum of Managers (WdF) showed that 62.2% of the Austrian companies surveyed practice lobbying. Most lobbying activity takes place in Vienna . Due to the federal structure of Austria, the number of contacts at state and local level involved in direct corporate lobbying is particularly high.

At present, UK citizens have little opportunity to understand who is lobbying whom, how, for what purpose and with what funds. While the majority of lobbying is legitimate and making a valuable contribution to policy-making, lobbying abuses and lapses in public ethics appear to occur too frequently.

Much of the problem in the UK is with rules governing politicians and officials.