Dr. Thomas Borer on Lobbying Reform: Why Limiting Access Badges Won’t Solve the Transparency Problem
Writing an opinion piece for NZZ, Dr. Thomas Borer argues that lobbying is a natural part of politics but must be conducted under clear, objective rules rather than at the discretion of individual parliamentarians. It notes that while the State Political Commission of the Council of States recently moved to improve transparency and limit lobbyists’ physical presence in the Federal Palace, the proposed reform, which comprised of reducing the number of access badges each parliamentarian can grant from two to one, fails to address the core problem and merely offers cosmetic change.