The Higher School of Lobbying has opened in Kyiv – the first center for training lobbyists at the international level

The Higher School of Lobbying – a new educational center and structural unit of the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine, which will shape a professional environment for lobbyists in line with European and American standards – has been officially opened in the capital. The event took place at the Hyatt Regency Kyiv hotel and brought together more than 100 participants.

The guests included People’s Deputies of Ukraine, representatives of the diplomatic corps, international business and scientific institutions. For the first time, practicing lobbyists from the US and the UK have officially joined the educational process in Ukraine; they will teach jointly with Ukrainian experts and academics.

Project leader and director Oleksii Shevchuk stressed that the launch of the school has an applied purpose – training personnel for economic recovery and integration into Western markets. “For us, lobbying is a tool of public policy, protection of competition and attraction of investment. We are creating a transparent, ethical and professional services market that will work in the interests of the state, society and business. Our graduates must act with equal confidence in Kyiv, Brussels and Washington,” Shevchuk said.

During the opening, the flagship international program “Kyiv – Brussels – Washington” was presented. The aim of the program is to train specialists capable of effectively representing and promoting Ukraine’s interests in European and American institutions, and building partnerships with international companies, government bodies and think tanks.

The key elements of the program will include standards and regulation of lobbying in the EU, the US and the UK, designing advocacy campaigns, working with EU institutions and the US Congress, GR, public affairs and strategic communications, codes of ethics, transparency, prevention of conflicts of interest, and lobbying as a tool for attracting investment and regulatory reforms

Historical background – how lobbying took shape in the US and Europe

USA. The American model is the most institutionalized. In the 19th century the term “lobbyist” came into use to denote people who communicated with congressmen in the lobbies.

The modern system relies on mandatory registration of lobbyists, reporting on clients, budgets and topics of influence, public registers and compliance.

The principles are transparency of contacts with officials, disclosure of expenses, limits on gifts and funding of trips, and disciplinary liability for undisclosed activity.

Europe. In the EU, lobbying is structured as the participation of stakeholders in policymaking. The Joint Transparency Register of the European Commission and the European Parliament is in force; it requires disclosure of information about organizations and consultants, their goals and resources, and meetings with senior officials are published online.

National regimes differ, but the common standards are public registers, codes of ethics, a traceable footprint of influence on regulations, and impact assessment for new acts.

The principles of professional lobbying include:

1. Legality and transparency – working exclusively within the public legal framework, disclosure of clients and of the subject of the mandate
2. Ethics and absence of conflicts of interest – compliance with codes of conduct, refusal of practices that create corruption risks
3. Expertise – preparing analytical materials, data and policy proposals, rather than “access for the sake of access”
4. Equal access – involving business, the public sector and the regions in the decision-making process
5. Measurability – clear advocacy goals, KPIs and reporting to clients and society

The launch of the Higher School of Lobbying in Ukraine is the next step toward introducing modern European approaches to interaction between the state, business and civil society of Ukraine. The organizers announced open enrollment for the first study cohort, the participation of international mentors and a workshop on preparing policy positions for EU and US institutions.

Interfax-Ukraine is the information and event partner of the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine and the Higher School of Lobbying.