Lobbywatch

Lobbywatch (lobbywatch.ch) is a Swiss non-profit association and online platform that documents the links of interest between federal parliamentarians, their guests and interest groups, and makes lobbying activity in Swiss politics publicly accessible. Founded on 24 June 2014 by seven people from journalism and IT — emerging from research by journalists Thomas Angeli and Otto Hostettler — the association is recognised as being of public utility and has its seat in Bern. Its central tool is a large open-source database of lobbying data, covering parliamentarians, interest groups and holders of access badges to the Federal Palace, with more than 50,000 entries updated weekly and an export interface. Beyond the database, Lobbywatch runs three main investigative tools: the lobbying database (interests, remuneration and access badges), a calendar of lobbying events during parliamentary sessions, and a money-and-politics strand covering referendum and election campaign financing. It also carries out an education mission through workshops, guided tours and conferences explaining how lobbying works. Its editorial team regularly publishes blog articles on lobbying and transparency issues, and the association has taken part in federal consultations. The organisation is financed by donations and membership fees, with more than 500 members, and its steering committee works on a voluntary basis while research work is remunerated. Lobbywatch states that its work has helped raise the share of parliamentarians declaring income from mandates from 0% in 2014 to around 56%, and that it uncovers more than 200 undeclared mandates per year. Its research is used by investigative journalists, academic researchers and civil-society initiatives, and it is regularly cited as a working base for Swiss media reporting on lobbying and political transparency.

Lobbywatch's origins lie in journalism. In 2008 the German-Swiss magazine Beobachter published a first article on the guests of members of the federal chambers who held access cards to the Federal Palace. Over the following years the Beobachter repeatedly published investigations into the guests and interest links of elected officials, noting that information on the parliament's website was often incomplete or even erroneous, and that information on the interest links of guests was almost entirely absent. To remedy this, a group of journalists supported by IT specialists began in 2013 to research the mandates of federal parliamentarians and gather them into a database. On 24 June 2014, seven people from journalism and IT founded the non-profit association Lobbywatch, emerging from research by journalists Thomas Angeli and Otto Hostettler. In September 2014 the first version of the lobbywatch.ch website went online, covering the interest links of members of the social-security and health committees. The echo was immense, with media across Switzerland relaying the initiative. The following year the association published the interest links of all members of Parliament and their guests, where these had been declared. In 2015 Lobbywatch provided detailed information on the interests of the Swiss People's Party (UDC) candidates for the Federal Council. In March 2017 the Council of States was a focus of its work. Also in 2017, thanks to crowdfunding, a new website was built. In 2018 the association launched a petition entitled "Stop au jeu de cache-cache des lobbies!" (Stop the lobby hide-and-seek), signed by around 3,000 people. Over the following years Lobbywatch consolidated its role as a reference point for transparency in Swiss politics. By the mid-2020s it reported that around 56% of parliamentarians declared how much they earned from their mandates, compared with 0% in 2014, and that it uncovered more than 200 undeclared mandates per year. It examined over 50,000 lobbying records and maintains Switzerland's largest database on the subject. Its research supports investigative journalism, academic research and civil-society initiatives. In 2019 the daily Le Temps put online a browser extension based on the association's work. In 2022 the platform's co-president argued that existing transparency rules were insufficient and that transparency on the amount of remuneration was needed. The association has also participated twice in federal consultations and is recognised as being of public utility, financed by donations and membership fees, with a steering committee working voluntarily.

• 2022

  The platform's co-president states that existing transparency rules are insufficient and that transparency on remuneration amounts is needed.

• 2019

  Le Temps puts online a browser extension based on Lobbywatch's work.

• 2018

  Lobbywatch launches the petition "Stop au jeu de cache-cache des lobbies!", signed by around 3,000 people.

• 2017

  In March the Council of States is a focus; a new website is built thanks to crowdfunding.

• 2015

  Lobbywatch publishes detailed information on the interests of UDC candidates for the Federal Council.

• 2014

  On 24 June, seven people from journalism and IT found the non-profit association Lobbywatch; the first version of lobbywatch.ch goes online in September.

• 2013

  A group of journalists supported by IT specialists begins researching federal parliamentarians' mandates and building a database.

• 2008

  Beobachter magazine publishes a first article on Federal Palace access-card guests of parliamentarians.

Independent, non-profit transparency watchdog creating a counterweight to lobby power in Swiss politics through transparency, rigorous investigations and Switzerland's largest lobbying database.

• Lobbying database

  Open-source database of parliamentarians, interest groups and access-badge holders, with over 50,000 entries, weekly updates and an export interface.

• Lobbying events calendar

  Calendar of lobbying events during parliamentary sessions.

• Money and politics

  Data and investigations on referendum and election campaign financing.

• Transparency report

  Annual report on party and mandate financing transparency.

1. 1Lobbywatch - Gut zu wissen, wer Politik machtlobbywatch.ch
2. 2Wirkung und Geschichte - Lobbywatchlobbywatch.ch
3. 3Über die Organisation Lobbywatch - Lobbywatchlobbywatch.ch
4. 4lobbywatch.ch - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Lobbywatch - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org