What information do disclosures to the Finnish Transparency Register contain about lobbying?

The Finnish Transparency Register promotes the realisation of the principle of public access regarding lobbying in three ways. Firstly, the Transparency Register extends the principle of public access to Parliament’s and the ministries’ activities that are not always documented. This type of less formal, more network-based communication associated with public relations activities, which is a key method used in lobbying, is firmly with the scope of the public access principle, thanks to the Transparency Register. (HE 98/2022)

Secondly, the Transparency Register also facilitates the submission of requests for information referred to in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities regarding the authorities’ public relations activities, as the information in the Transparency Register helps those who submit such requests to target them at the correct documents. (HE 98/2022)

Thirdly, the Finnish Transparency Register brings the principle of openness to bear on political decision-makers and their assistants more strongly. This makes it easier for citizens to follow the dialogue around political decision-making. (HE 98/2022)

What information can you search for in the Finnish Transparency Register?

Influencing activities are disclosed to the Finnish Transparency Register by topic. In connection with a topic, disclosers report each lobbying target and the main method of communication for each of these targets during the six-month reporting period referred to in the Finnish Transparency Register Act (either 1 January–30 June or 1 July–31 December).

The number of topics indicates the range of different topics the organisation has attempted to influence during the reporting period in question. The number of targets per each topic indicates how many targets have been lobbied in relation to that topic during the reporting period. The main method of communication in which the target has been lobbied is reported in the disclosure of activities. There may have been several methods for communication, but it is the responsibility the actor subject to the disclosure obligation to indicate the main one.

Each topic only needs to be disclosed once, even if there had been several contacts associated with it. The disclosers must report the main method used to communicate with the targets for each lobbying topic. The target of lobbying is disclosed once for each topic, even if the same person had been contacted about the topic several times.

If, for example, a Member of Parliament is mentioned in connection with a topic, this indicates that the organisation has contacted the Member of Parliament about the topic at least once during the reporting period in question. While there may have been more contacts, their number does not need to be disclosed.

Does the register contain the numbers or dates of contacts?

Disclosures can only be submitted to the system in July-August for the first part of the year and in January-February for the last six months of the previous year. This is why the date on which the disclosure was made only indicates the six-month period during which the target was contacted.

Based on the disclosed topics, it is possible to find out who has been contacted and how. The Finnish Transparency Register is not a meeting diary, which is why every contact is not reported separately. This means that the information in the register reveals neither the dates of the influencing activities nor the number of contacts made regarding a single topic, whether they are meetings, phone calls or other means of communication, as the target may have been contacted a number of times about the same topic, or only once.