Lobbying in Cyprus

Since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, lobbying in Cyprus has been a common and accepted phenomenon among citizens and officials. Attempts to influence government decisions are usually carried out in a non-transparent and unprofessional manner.

The professional lobby emerged in 1993 through the participation of the Cyprus Public Relations Association in the European Federation of Public Relations Associations (CERP). From 1993 to 2009, the Cyprus Public Relations Association, a member of CERP, tried through its president to promote transparent professional lobbying in Cyprus, without success. An important role in informing association members at this time is played by CERP, the Charter Institute of Public Relations, and specifically by lobbying guru Douglas Smith, who is preparing the code of conduct for members of the Charter Institute of Public Relations. In 1998, under the presidency of Mary Pyrgos, the Cyprus Public Relations Association organized a conference in Cyprus, in collaboration with the Charter Institute of Public Relations, to inform Cypriot citizens and the business community about professional lobbying. Despite these efforts, Cypriot society is not ready to accept this important tool, and lobbying continues to be conducted in a highly opaque and unprofessional manner.

In 2011, one year after the dissolution of CERP, the Public Affairs Community of Europe (PACE 2011) was established in Rome, and Mary Pyrgou, due to her previous participation in the European association, was invited to be a founding member of the Public Affairs Community of Europe (PACE 2011), which includes associations from European countries, to represent Cyprus until a Cypriot association was established. From 2011 to 2017, efforts were made to establish a Cypriot association for lobbyists to become a member of PACE, but there was no interest. Due to the lack of an association, the role of informing and raising awareness about the importance of lobbying for more effective decision-making by the government is taken on by the FIMONOI Foundation, which represents Cyprus at the annual PACE meetings.

In 2017, a small group of dedicated professionals — Mary Pyrgou, Dimitris Vakis, Kyriakos Iordanous, Thomas Kazakos, Melina Pyrgou, and Koulias Vakis — founded the LPAP Association of Public Affairs Professionals with a mission to bring transparency and structure to lobbying in Cyprus. Despite early challenges in gaining media attention, the Association quickly made its presence known by engaging with political parties, government officials, and key business organisations such as the CCCI and OEB, while actively advocating for legislation to regulate lobbying and participating in public consultations to shape the future of public affairs in the country.

On February 17, 2022, the House of Representatives passed the “Transparency in Decision-Making Processes and Related Matters Law of 2022 (Law 20(I)/2022),” (“Lobbying Law”), aiming to establish a framework for transparency concerning involvement in decision-making processes regarding matters related to executive or legislative authority, to prevent the creation of conditions that allow or facilitate the occurrence of corrupt acts.

According to the legislation, those wishing to participate in decision-making processes are required to register in a relevant lobbyist registry. After their scheduled meeting with any government official, they must submit a report to the Independent Authority against Corruption. Additionally, government officials are obliged to submit a communication form to the competent authority regarding any scheduled meeting with a representative of an interest group. Additionally, government officials are obliged to submit a communication form to the competent authority regarding any scheduled meeting with a representative of an interest group.

On April 6, 2023, the House of Representatives passed the “Regulations on Transparency in Decision-Making Processes and Related Matters of 2023 (S.I. 118/2023),” which aimed to explain the Lobbyists’ Registry and the processes for collecting, processing, using, disclosing, accessing, maintaining, and deleting personal information and data for the purposes of implementing the legislation regulating lobbying in Cyprus.

On November 27, 2023 -although the legislation should have been fully implemented since January 1, 2023- the Independent Authority against Corruption began accepting applications for registration in the Lobbyists’ Registry. More recently, according to an announcement issued on February 7, 2024, it decided to fully enforce all provisions of the law on March 1, 2024, when all obligations of both officials and lobbyists will be simultaneously enforced.

In addition, the Independent Authority against Corruption has released a comprehensive guide to the application of the Lobbying Law, which aims to enhance transparency and curb corruption within Cyprus, in addition to providing clear and practical instructions for both lobbyists and public officials.

The guide provides accessible information on how to navigate the Lobbying law for both legal professionals and people without legal training, ensuring that all stakeholders can easily understand their rights and obligations.

For more information about the registration process on the Lobbyists‘ Registry click here.

For more information about the Independent Authority Against Corruption Practical Guide, click here.