AR approves regulation for registration and publicity of hearings

O Parliament adopted today a resolution on the regulation of Members on the registration and advertising of hearings and interactions within the framework of legitimate representation of interests with the Assembly of the Republic.

This resolution was approved only with the abstention of the CFP, having been subscribed by the PSD, Aquiza, PS, Liberal Initiative, CDS, PAN and JPP, and results from the approval of the so-called law for regulating lobby activity in December last year, in the previous legislative session.

This Regulation lays down the rules applicable to the publication of hearings and interactions within the framework of the legitimate representation of interests with the Assembly of the Republic. On the other hand, according to the diploma, “the rules governing the operation of the legislative footprint mechanism in the Assembly of the Republic” are laid down.

Following the approval of the new transparency regime applicable to private, national and foreign entities, which carry out legitimate representation of interests with public entities, the Transparency Register of the Representation of Interests (RTRI) was established, which should operate with the Assembly of the Republic. In July, the RTRI management model was approved.

In this context, it was now up to the regulation to be adopted by the Assembly of the Republic to “give, record and publicise the hearings and interactions held with you within the framework of legitimate representation of interests together”.

This regulation will apply to the publicity of the hearings and interactions held with the Assembly of the Republic, “including all its organs and its holders, services and parliamentary committees, and to the cabinets supporting the members of the table, parliamentary groups, single Members representatives of parties and non-attached Members”.

In this way, before a hearing is granted or participation in hearings promoted by the Assembly of the Republic, representatives of legitimate interests must be registered with the Transparency Register of the Representation of Interests.

“ Compliance with the obligations to register and publicise hearings and interactions is carried out through a platform made available by the services of the Assembly of the Republic”, reads in the resolution now approved.

The register of interactions shall include elements such as the date of interaction, the type of interaction, the identification of the representative of interests, the identification of the persons present in each delegation in the case of hearings, the identification of the entity whose interest is represented (in cases where the representation is not performed in its own name) and the summary indication of the object of interaction.

Furthermore, in accordance with the Regulation, representatives of legitimate interests shall indicate in advance, at the request of the hearing mark or in the consignment of documents and information, their registration number in the RTRI, the entity whose interest they represent (in cases where they represent third parties) and the object of the requested hearing.