ASSESSMENT LOBBY RULES/NETHERLANDS

Netherlands

• Voluntary
• Narrow definition
• Register only covers Lower Chamber of Parliament. The register is voluntary in nature and contains only 72 lobbyists. The Dutch government pro-actively published Ministerial agendas that contain some lobby meetings and a legislative footprint for public consultation. Both instruments fall short of a dedicated lobby transparency tool but could form the basis of future reforms.
• Register Scope: Legislative
• Access badge, holder name, organization name, interests represented.
• Limited information provided, public access

The Netherlands needs to establish stricter transparency rules on lobbying for members of the Government and Parliament

Note

A lobby registry was introduced in July 2012 but it is only applicable to the Dutch House of Representatives, however, lobbyists registered with the House can also have access to the Senate buildings. In fact, registration is mandatory only in order to physically access ‘secure zones’ of the Parliament building. The Dutch professional association of lobbyists— the Beroepsvereniging van Public Affairs (BVPA) – was founded in 1999 and introduced a code of conduct to self-regulate its members. By becoming a member, lobbyists agree to abide by a code of conduct that, when not respected, can lead to disbarment from the association.