More Governments Introduce Lobbying Regulations

While lobbying regulation varies widely across countries, a growing number of governments have introduced rules to increase transparency around influence on policymaking over the past two decades, as data from the OECD’s Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2026 shows. In most cases, these frameworks are enshrined in primary legislation, establishing mandatory registers and disclosure requirements for lobbyists. However, some countries still rely on more limited approaches, such as parliamentary rules of procedure or administrative schemes that apply only to the executive branch, resulting in uneven levels of oversight.

Historically, the first modern lobbying regulations were introduced in North America. The United States adopted federal disclosure requirements as early as 1946, followed by more comprehensive reforms in 1995 that clarified the definition of "lobbying". Canada established its own framework in the late 1980s. Since then, similar rules have gradually spread to other parts of the world, particularly in Europe and Latin America.

Still, important differences remain in how lobbying is regulated. In Germany, for example, early rules focused primarily on parliamentary registers before broader legislation (the Lobby Register Act) was introduced in 2022. In the United Kingdom, disclosure requirements long applied mainly to consultant lobbyists targeting government ministers and senior officials, a system formalized under the 2014 Transparency of Lobbying Act and still relatively limited in scope compared with more comprehensive regimes. In Mexico, meanwhile, lobbying rules remain relatively narrow and largely centered on legislative institutions, with less extensive disclosure requirements than in countries with dedicated lobbying laws.

At the same time, several countries have strengthened their frameworks in recent years. Ireland (2015) and France (2016) are often cited as more comprehensive examples, with mandatory registers and broader disclosure obligations. More recently, countries such as Finland (2023), Ukraine (2024) and Czechia (2025) have moved to introduce or expand lobbying regulation, reflecting a wider trend toward formalizing rules in line with international standards.