{"id":6409,"date":"2024-01-31T16:26:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T14:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/na.sofard.dev\/?p=6409"},"modified":"2026-10-30T17:04:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T15:04:43","slug":"the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/na.sofard.dev\/en\/the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"The draft law “On honest lobbying” in its current form can be used to curtail freedom and democracy in Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joint statement of civil society organizations<\/em><\/p>\n

On January 10, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the government proposal in the first reading draft law<\/a> “On Honest Lobbying” No. 10337. The European Commission identified the adoption of the law on lobbying as one of the prerequisites for the start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, however, as introduced by the government, this draft law only distances us from European values and directly threatens freedom, democracy and constitutional rights in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

In the version of the first reading, this project will not only not reduce the oligarchic and unscrupulous influences on decision-making by the authorities, but will also increase the closedness of the authorities, will allow pressure on any “inconvenient” citizens or civil society organizations that will criticize the authorities, demand reforms or changes in public policy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Such citizens or organizations will be required to register as “lobbyists” under threat of fines, like “foreign agents” in Putin’s Russia. That is, a system of government pressure on civil society will be created. People will be prosecuted for “illegal lobbying” for participating in a round table, submitting proposals for legislation, public examination or meeting with an official.<\/p>\n

All key proposals of representatives of public organizations, which were part of the working group for the preparation of the draft law for the second reading, created by the parliamentary committee on legal policy, were ignored. The revised version of the draft law will continue to allow prosecution of citizens or public organizations for criticism or proposals for legislation under the pretext of defending their “commercial interests”. The latter are vaguely worded \u2014 any donation to support an organization for advocating anti-corruption, political, or other reforms may be considered its “commercial interest.”<\/p>\n

There is a risk that the committee and the parliament in general may adopt draft law No. 10337 in a wording that will allow the authorities to consider any active citizens and public associations as lobbyists, demand reporting for every meeting, call, press conference and other “lobbying” activities, fine and publicly discredit in the eyes of the public. That is, not the citizens will control the government, but the government will control the citizens and punish them for their public activity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the current Ukrainian realities, when constitutional rights are already limited under martial law, authorities work in a non-transparent manner, and public activists, journalists, and businessmen increasingly become the object of harassment and intimidation in connection with their professional activities, such a law will narrow the space for civil society.
Therefore, this project needs serious \u2014 and not cosmetic \u2014 changes, which should be accepted not only by the European Union and the Ukrainian authorities, but also by Ukrainian society. <\/p>\n

Without such systemic changes, this project is unacceptable and will only harm Ukraine’s European progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We thank dozens of people’s deputies from various factions and groups for their support and submission of public organizations developed by experts amendments<\/a>, which will remove key threats to the draft law. <\/p>\n

In connection with this we urge<\/strong> The Committee on Legal Policy, all People’s Deputies of Ukraine, when considering project No. 10337 in the second reading, take into account these amendments, first of all:<\/p>\n

clearly provide that the effect of the law on lobbying does not extend to the exercise and protection by citizens of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, and to the activities of non-profit organizations and non-profit institutions, including public associations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We urge you to involve representatives of business associations, industry associations of enterprises, as well as representatives of European organizations in Ukraine, EU experts in the field of lobbying in the analysis and preparation for the second reading of the draft law. <\/p>\n

We call on institutions of civil society and all conscious citizens to support our position.<\/p>\n

ZMINA Center for Human Rights
Laboratory of legislative initiatives
Movement “Space of Freedom”
Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Studies
Ukrainian Helsinki Union for Human Rights
ISAR “Union”
Institute of mass information
Anti-Corruption Center
NGO “UKRAINEPRIDE”
Regional Center for Human Rights
Network for the protection of national interests of the ANTS
Incubator of democratic initiatives
NGO “Social Action Center”
NGO “Center for Democracy and Rule of Law” (CEDEM)
NGO “Institute of Socio-Economic Transformation”
DEJURE Foundation
NGO “Donbas SOS”
Center for Political and Legal Reforms
NGO “Insight”
NGO “LGBT Human Rights Center “Our World”
NGO “Anti-corruption Headquarters”
NGO “Human Rights Platform”
NGO “International Society of Human Rights – Ukrainian Section”
NGO “Ukrainian Institute for Human Rights”
BF “Gender Zed”
GS “Educational House of Human Rights – Chernihiv”
International Charitable Foundation “Caritas of Ukraine”
GO “KRYMSOS”
NGO “Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center”
NGO “Independent”
NGO “Association for the Promotion of Self-Organization of the Population”
NGO “Center for Civic Representation “Life””
NGO “Zero Waste Lviv”
NGO “Center Dobrochyn”
NGO “Chernihiv Center for Human Rights”
NGO “Center for Joint Development “Dieva hromada”
BF “Future Development Agency”
NGO “Nova Druzhkivka”
NGO “All-Ukrainian League of Lawyers Against Corruption”
NGO “Kherson Regional Center “Successful Woman”
GS “Public Control Works”
NGO “Kremenchuk Anti-Corruption Center”
NGO “Impact center KHID.SUA”
Civic Platform New Country
NGO “Institute of the Republic”
NGO “Community Development Center”, Kharkiv
Khmelnytskyi district public organization “PRAVO”
BO “BF “New University”
Liberation Movement Research Center
All-Ukrainian Democratic Forum
MBF Ukrainian Public Health Foundation
NGO “Media Detector”
NGO “People’s Defense”
NGO “Against Corruption”
PROLISOK-BERDIANSK GO
BF “INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION”
BO “MF Lubystok”
NGO “Women’s Anti-Corruption Movement”
NGO “Odesa Institute of Social Technologies”
NGO “Ukrainian Volunteer Service”
Civic movement “Vitsich”
NGO “Ukrainian World”
Dixie Group
Committee of Voters of Ukraine
Public holding “INFLUENCE GROUP”
HONEST movement<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joint statement of civil society organizations On January 10, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the first reading the government draft law “On Virtuous Lobbying” No. 10337. The European Commission identified the adoption of the law on lobbying as one of the prerequisites for starting negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, however, as introduced by the government, this draft law only distances us from European values and directly threatens…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[41],"class_list":["post-6409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-democracy-reforms-and-european-integration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe draft law "On honest lobbying" in its current form can be used to curtail freedom and democracy in Ukraine - Demforum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The draft law "On honest lobbying" in its current form can be used to curtail freedom and democracy in Ukraine - Demforum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Joint statement of civil society organizations On January 10, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the first reading the government draft law "On Virtuous Lobbying" No. 10337. The European Commission identified the adoption of the law on lobbying as one of the prerequisites for starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, however, as introduced by the government, this draft law only distances us from European values and directly threatens...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/na.sofard.dev\/en\/the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Demforum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-31T14:26:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-30T15:04:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/na.sofard.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/og-demforum-v2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/na.sofard.dev\\\/en\\\/the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/na.sofard.dev\\\/en\\\/the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"The draft law “On honest lobbying” in its current form can be used to curtail freedom and democracy in Ukraine\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-31T14:26:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-30T15:04:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/na.sofard.dev\\\/en\\\/the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":924,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/na.sofard.dev\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Democracy, Reforms and European Integration\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/na.sofard.dev\\\/en\\\/the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/na.sofard.dev\\\/en\\\/the-draft-law-on-honest-lobbying-in-its-current-form-can-be-used-to-curtail-freedom-and-democracy-in-ukraine\\\/\",\"name\":\"The draft law \\\"On honest lobbying\\\" in its current form can be used to curtail freedom and democracy in Ukraine - 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