In fact, we must note from the beginning that there are two countries where there is legislation on lobbying, where, with very few exceptions...Vietnam and so on. There are very few exceptions—in Germany. Many countries have simply....
Several countries have simply abandoned the idea of passing legislation on this issue. I believe Scotland is an example. In fact, I make reference to that in my brief. I met with some people from the Standards Committee of the Scottish Parliament in 2000. They wanted extremely strict legislation. They did not want to see any repetition of the Westminster scandals. All parties agreed on that.
A bill was tabled in 2002 that was insignificant, to put it one way, with all due respect for Scottish parliamentarians. It did not mean anything. The bill was never passed, so in fact there is nothing. The same thing happened recently in the United Kingdom.
It is extremely difficult. One must be aware of the fact that what we are discussing today is extremely sensitive. Making representations to public office holders is a foundation of democracy. Transparency is as well. We must demand transparency, but such a thing is more recent in our cultures.