Reporting government-level lobbying activities in Finland to the Transparency Register is here to stay. However, the new bulk reporting interface for the Transparency Register is finally arriving, so now is the perfect time to ensure your organisation’s reporting is timely, accurate, and as effortless as possible. Lobster automates the entire process. When your organisation’s advocacy is documented in Lobster, the disclosure of activities is sent directly to the Transparency Register – no Excel or unnecessary typing involved.

Accurate disclosure details – without manual work

Most of Lobster’s client organisations use Lobster to coordinate their lobbying activities, logging more comprehensive information than the Transparency Register requires. This means the disclosure of activities is generated automatically as part of their normal workflow. Lobster automatically identifies which lobbying activities must be included in the disclosure. No need to manually select or filter data – the system takes care of this for you.

Lobster’s political stakeholder data is also more detailed and comprehensive than what the Transparency Register contains. Reporting flows smoothly because Lobster’s data is matched at the start of the reporting period with the official list of lobbying targets published by the National Audit Office (NAO). This ensures precise reporting to the Transparency Register.

How does it work?

Lobbying targets are automatically identified. Lobster compares logged lobbying activities against the official target list of the Transparency Register, identifying those entities subject to reporting obligations. This guarantees that all relevant targets are included and nothing is accidentally omitted.

Correct reporting level is chosen automatically – individual or organisation. Lobster automatically determines whether the lobbying target should be reported individually or at the organisation level. This saves time and prevents reporting errors that might arise from unclear instructions.

Contact methods and subjects of lobbying transfer directly from lobbying projects. This way, all necessary information is transferred directly to the Transparency Register from where the organisation’s advocacy work is managed anyway. No extra work needed.

Steps for setting up the automation

When the reporting period begins, the interface enables direct transfer of the disclosure of activities from Lobster to the Transparency Register. Here’s how it works:

Setup is a one-time process
For Lobster to send disclosure data directly to the Transparency Register, the reporting organisation must provide Lobster with the Transparency Register’s authentication key. This key authorises Lobster to transfer data via the interface. The setup is a one-off task – once the key is provided, reporting will run automatically thereafter.

Data transfers automatically every night
From the start of the reporting period, Lobster sends disclosure data automatically to the Transparency Register once per day. The transfer happens overnight, with no manual action needed. The data is saved as drafts in the register, ready for reviewing and publication.

Draft updates happen automatically
When disclosure data is edited in Lobster – for example, adding a new lobbying target or a subject – the changes are automatically updated overnight in the Transparency Register draft. This keeps the draft always up to date, so there’s no need to worry about outdated or incomplete information during reporting.

Publication takes moments
As the disclosure of activities is already prepared as a draft in the Transparency Register, the authorised person from the organisation can simply log in to the Register, review and approve the information with just a few clicks. Publishing requires no manual entry or file transfers – the whole process is quick, smooth, and error-free.

Smart organisations don’t type it all out – let the system handle reporting

Our clients have been able to completely eliminate manual Excel compilations, copying, and checklists. When lobbying documentation in Lobster becomes part of everyday workflows, reporting happens practically by itself – no extra work or retyping required.

The automated process also reduces human errors and ensures all Transparency Register requirements are met accurately and on time. At the same time, reporting documentation and transparency improve, giving organisations confidence that their reporting is always in order – without extra hassle.

If reporting to the Transparency Register is relevant for you, get in touch. We offer a ready-made and easy solution.