Lobby

On April 27, 2022, the President of IBREI, Maurício Prazak, and the Director of Government Relations, Rafael Bernardi, participated in a meeting at FIESP with Minister Wagner de Campos Rosário to discuss the topic “Transparency and Integrity in the Private Representation of Interests,” in other words, the regulation of “lobbying.”

The following were present at the event:

• Josué Gomes da Silva, President of FIESP

• Wagner de Campos Rosário, Minister of State of the Office of the Comptroller General

• José Marcelo Castro de Carvalho, Executive Secretary of the Office of the Comptroller General

• Carlo Pereira, Executive Director of the Rede Brasil do Pacto Global

OBJECTIVES

• Roberto César de Oliveira Viégas, Secretary of Transparency and Corruption Prevention

• Márcio Denys Pessanha Gonçalves, Director of Corruption Prevention

• Karlis Mira Novickis, Professor at INSPER

• Eduardo Vasconcelos, Director of Institutional Relations, Antitrust and Trade at Whirlpool América Latina

In a democracy, the actions of individuals, institutions, and interest groups to influence government decisions are both legitimate and necessary. This dialogue enriches and improves decision-making processes.

However, distinguishing legitimate dialogue from obscure and corrupt activities is a challenge in every country in the world and must be addressed by strengthening ethics and integrity in public-private relations.

In this context, the panel aimed to foster debate on recent advances in public integrity within the federal government following the publication of Decree No. 10,889/2021, whose rules seek to bring greater transparency to public-private relations, as well as to discuss the challenges that still need to be addressed. As a contribution to the debate, the federal government submitted to the National Congress, in December 2021, a bill to regulate the private representation of interests — lobbying — throughout the country.

The new rules on the registration and publication of federal government authorities’ public agendas, introduced by Decree No. 10,889/2021, impact not only daily activities within the public sector but also the routines of those — individuals or legal entities — who seek to influence government decisions, whether related to the issuance of regulatory acts, the direction of public policy, or the planning of a bidding process — situations defined by the Decree as “private representation of interests,” generally known as lobbying.

It is important to note, however, that not every interaction with public officials due to private interests falls under this concept. At times, for example, individuals approach public agencies to benefit from services provided or to exercise their rights. It is therefore essential to understand the different situations and how the new rules established will impact, both practically and culturally, the routine of private interest representatives.