Peculiarities of lobbying activities at the present stage: international legal dimension

The article provides a comprehensive international legal analysis of the peculiarities of lobbying activities at the present stage in the context of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine and the further need to harmonize its legislation with the existing legal instruments of the EU and the North Atlantic Alliance. The lobbying activities are found to be characterized by common features being inherent to this phenomenon, regardless of its interpretation. In particular, lobbyism involves the subjects and objects of influence; has certain goals expressed in the protection of certain interests of certain social groups; is based on the use of various methods, technologies and forms of lobbying activities. Within the framework of legal orders that provide for legislative regulation of lobbying activities (in the US and at the EU level), both individuals and corporate structures (the so-called ‘pressure groups’) are considered lobbyists which are divided into domestic and foreign agents. The existing goals of lobbying activities mostly cover the private interests of a particular person or a group of persons but lobbyists may also represent public interests, while pursuing socially useful goals. These lobbying goals can be achieved through the use of various forms and methods of lobbying activities. In Ukraine, all three forms of lobbying activities are used, i.e. direct, indirect and internal lobbyism. However, only some aspects related to indirect lobbying should be regulated by law. Depending on the effectiveness of pressure put on the authorities, there are strong and soft lobbying methods. However, threats, blackmail and other types of pressure associated with clearly illegal actions cannot be considered lobbying methods in the legal sense of this term. Therefore, the international legal doctrine proposes various classifications of forms, methods and varieties of lobbyism introduced to identify the specific and distinctive features of lobbying depending on certain conditions of the state and social development. Therefore, a full-fledged study of lobbying activities in Ukraine is only possible when the proper scientific attention is paid to the specifics of lobbying practices implemented by professional lobbyists both in the US and in the EU Member States.