Transparency International Bulgaria strongly objects to the Law on Transparency in Interest Representation, adopted on March 19, 2026, which, in its current form, fails to meet its stated objectives of ensuring transparency, accountability, and integrity in public administration.
Instead of a comprehensive and effective legal framework, the law introduces a limited registration regime and piecemeal rules, without regulating the substantive social relations related to the interaction between public authorities and private interests. There is a lack of systemic safeguards, a clear structure, and a delineation of key functions, which creates a risk of institutional imbalance and concentration of powers.
Particularly concerning is the model under which agencies can adopt their own rules without uniform standards, leading to fragmentation and legal uncertainty. The law also fails to meet the requirements for good lawmaking and legal clarity, including in the context of European Union law.
At the same time, the legislative process disregarded the requirement to jointly review and consolidate similar bills, which led to the adoption of a conceptually weak and unbalanced law.
As it stands, the law represents a missed opportunity to establish effective and modern regulation and creates conditions for ineffective enforcement and a lack of genuine transparency.