In comparison, in spring 2019, 63 MPs published 530 meetings with businesspeople, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), education representatives and other interest groups.
The largest number of meetings were held with business associations and businesspeople (184), NGOs (180), education and science representatives (126).
The number of parliamentarians who declared their meetings with registered lobbyists increased 5 times since spring 2017. During the autumn 2019 Parliamentary session, 14 MPs announced 25 such meetings.
The greatest number of meetings declared during the autumn 2019 session was by Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union political group’s member Virginija Vingrienė (59), the Liberals Movement political group’s members Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen (50) and Simonas Gentvilas (41), Non-attached political group’s member Aušrinė Armonaitė (37), and Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union political group’s member, the Minister of Environment, Kęstutis Mažeika (36).
Half of the committees’ chairpersons (7 out of 15) declared at least one meeting with interest groups. In addition, two times more (4 out of 7) chairpersons of political groups published their meetings with interest groups in comparison to spring 2019.
The most active political group, as of the 2019 spring session, was the Liberal Movement political group – 9 out of its 10 members declared 126 meetings. 7 out of 8 members of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania-Christian Families Alliance announced a combined total of 45 meetings. They made the biggest progress, as in spring 2019 no meetings with interest groups were announced by members of this political group. 31 out of 49 members of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union political group declared 354 meetings.
3 members of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party political group declared 12 meetings, 11 members of Homeland Union Lithuanian Christian Democrat political group announced 54 meetings, 4 members of Non-attached members political group – 54, 3 members of Lithuanian Social Democratic Labour political group – 13 meetings.
1 out of 7 members of political group “For Lithuania’s Welfare” (founded on 10th of September, 2019, and dissolved on 13th of January, 2020) declared 4 meetings.
For research purposes, only publicly available information between September 10th, 2019 and February 16th, 2020 was used. Information was obtained from official working calendars, personal websites, and entries of meetings with interest groups made on the website manosusitikimai.lt.
