Bulgaria is not yet ready to introduce a lobbying bill, according to the Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva.

Tsacheva made the statement Monday during the opening of the two-day conference "The Role of the Lobbyists" in Sofia, pointing out the unsuccessful attempt of previous parliaments to pass such bill.

The conference is organized by the Institute for Economic Policy with the support of the US Embassy in Sofia.

"We do not have professional lobbyists in Bulgaria, people who are paid to carry a certain legal initiative. We should look at the European practices in introducing rules and norms that would assure transparency in the activities of NGOs and Members of the Parliament," Tsacheva said.

The Speaker of the Parliament further announced the introduction of public registers, listing the names of MPs, NGOs and their initiatives, adding these registers should be ready by the fall of next year. She explained the current legal frame provides enough clarity about the MPs activities outside parliamentary hall.

The US Ambassador to Sofia, James Warlick, who is also taking part in the conference, stressed on the importance of having such lobbying bill in Bulgaria. Warlick gave as example his own experience, before becoming a Congressman, working as a lobbyist in a private company raising funds for the Philippines and Thailand.

"Bribes and corruption are a form of lobbying. What is important here is not if lobbying happens, but how does in happen and how it can be controlled," the Ambassador explained.

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