Abstract
The article examines the issues of legal regulation of lobbying in local self-government bodies of Ukraine following the enactment of the Law of Ukraine “On Lobbying”. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of legislative inconsistencies, regulatory gaps, and practical challenges arising during the implementation of the new legal institution at the local level. Particular attention is paid to the definition of the object, subject matter, and actors of lobbying, as well as to the correlation between the provisions of the Laws of Ukraine “On Lobbying” and “On Law-Making Activity”. It is established that the current legal framework contains a number of internal contradictions related to the postponed enactment of certain legislative provisions, which creates legal uncertainty and complicates the practical application of lobbying regulation mechanisms. The article substantiates that a significant number of individual acts adopted by local self-government bodies formally fall outside the scope of lobbying regulation, although they may directly relate to the realization of commercial interests of particular actors. It is determined that the lack of clear criteria for distinguishing lobbying from advocacy, as well as public interest from commercial interest, creates preconditions for the spread of “shadow lobbying” practices and increases the risks of corrupt influence on managerial decision-making processes. The study also analyzes the problems associated with excluding certain activities and categories of actors from the scope of lobbying regulation, which may be used as a mechanism for circumventing legal restrictions. The author concludes that further improvement of lobbying legislation, harmonization of normative legal acts, clarification of the conceptual framework, and development of stable administrative and judicial practice are necessary. It is emphasized that ensuring transparency of interest representation and effective control over lobbying activities constitutes an important prerequisite for improving the efficiency of public governance and minimizing corruption risks in the activities of local self-government bodies.
References
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