Lobbying in political and institutional communication in Portugal

Abstract

It is important to recognise that lobbying plays a legitimate role in the democratic process, allowing interest groups to express their opinions and seek to influence public policy. When it is not regulated, lobbying can easily become influential so that political decisions are not really in the public interest and can favour practices of corruption and influence peddling. By regulating lobbying in Portugal, it would be important to promote transparency, integrity and trust in democratic institutions. This requires a careful law-making process to balance the legitimate interests of interest groups with the common good and fundamental democratic values.