The Lobby Law came into force on July 27, creating rules and a mandatory register for those representing interests with the State. For the first time, Portugal now has a general transparency regime applicable to the interaction between private entities, national or foreign, and public entities. In an interview with "Campeão das Províncias", Gonçalo Boavida, president of the Public Affairs Portugal Association (PAPT), states that this law represents a structural change in the way the country views interest representation.
The center of this new regime is the Transparency Register of Interest Representation (RTRI), of a public, free and open access nature, managed by the Assembly of the Republic, whose full operation is expected to begin on January 1, 2027. Boavida highlights that the main added value of the law will be the reinforcement of public confidence, by making the participation of companies, associations and citizens clearer and more transparent. Entities wishing to carry out interest representation activities must register, identifying the interests they represent and the persons responsible for that activity.
In case of non-compliance, the law provides for consequences such as total or partial suspension of registration, limitations on institutional contacts with public entities and exclusion from participation in public consultations for a determined period. Boavida emphasizes that, in addition to formal consequences, there are also reputational consequences, given that non-compliance can affect institutional trust in the entity in question.
Boavida considers that this legal framework represents a significant step towards the professionalization of the sector, by recognizing interest representation as a legitimate activity subject to transparency and accountability standards. Portugal is now approaching the practices adopted in various European democracies, although it is still at the beginning of an implementation phase. PAPT intends to be an interlocutor with the Assembly of the Republic and contribute to ensuring that the implementation of the law is done with rigor and dialogue.
