At the beginning of 2024, Finland introduced the Transparency Register, which requires organizations to report their lobbying activities in a public register. The register aims to increase transparency regarding entities that influence political decision-making. But how has this new regulation affected lobbying activities in practice?
I investigated what changes have occurred in the management of lobbying activities of large Finnish companies following the implementation of the Transparency Register. The research was based on interviews with public affairs managers of large Finnish companies. The study examined changes in managers’ own work, management practices, resource allocation, and communications.
The study found that public affairs managers’ responsibilities have expanded further to include new responsibilities in internal communications, training, and reporting practices. Public affairs manager not only represents their company to decision-makers but increasingly also communicates about lobbying internally and externally, trains the organization in handling transparency register practices, and ensures that sustainable lobbying practices are followed. Overall, both internal and external communication about lobbying activities has increased.
The regulatory burden caused by the Transparency Register has been considered moderate after implementation. This is thanks to the systematic reporting practices and internal reporting tools of the interviewed organizations. However, the study noted that creating new internal processes, training staff, and implementing reporting tools has required significant work.