What’s New
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10 June 2013
FOI Notes: EU, Uruguay, OGP, UK, US, Open Gov
European Union: An article on transparency in the European Union by Deirdre Curtin, professor of European Law at the University of Amsterdam. Open Government: “A Citizen’s Guide to Open Government, E-Government, and Government 2.0” – a listing of resources compiled by the University of North Carolina school of public administration. Uruguay: The Uruguayan 2013 Online Transparency […]
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10 June 2013
Scottish Minister Offers Extension of FOI Law
The Scottish government has proposed that the freedom of information law should cover cultural, sports and leisure services set up by local authorities. The Scottish Liberal Democrats called the move “too timid” and Information Commissioner Rosemary Agnew suggested a broader approach. Debate about covering private organizations that perform functions for the government has been at […]
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10 June 2013
U.S. Court Overturns Decision in Trade Case
Quoting George Washington, a U.S. appeals court June 7 denied access to a document concerning unsuccessful trade negotiations conducted in the 1990s and 2000s. A three-judge panel overturned a lower court ruling giving deference to the opinion of the U.S. Trade Representative that disclosure of a past position could jeopardize future negotiations and limit the […]
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7 June 2013
Most Indian Parties Upset Over RTI Purview Ruling
Most Indian political parties have reacted negatively to the Central Information Commission ruling bringing them under the right to information law. Expecting an appeal, one of the two plaintiffs, the Association for Democratic Reforms, June 5 filed in the Delhi High Court to preempt any stay of the CIC order without an opportunity to be […]
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7 June 2013
EU Court Backs Secrecy in International Trade Talks
The General Court of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg June 7 upheld secrecy in trade negotiations and privileged access for business and trade associations. The plaintiff, the watchdog group Corporate Europe Observatory, said in a summary that the court “concludes that the European Commission did not violate EU rules when withholding information about […]
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7 June 2013
Report Criticizes Proposed FOI Amendments for Bosnia
Proposed amendments to the Law on Freedom of Access to Information of Bosnia and Herzegovina would exclude large volumes of information from the right of access to information, according to the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. “The poorly drafted and ill-considered amendments […]
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7 June 2013
AP Says U.S. Officials Using Private Email Accounts
U.S. officials are using private emails accounts to conduct government business and agencies are refusing to disclose the email addresses, according to a May 4 report by Jack Gillum of the Associated Press. The AP story said the practice ”complicates agencies’ legal responsibilities to find and turn over emails under public records requests and congressional inquiries.” “The scope of using the secret accounts across government remains a mystery,” the […]
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7 June 2013
Ghana Cabinet Forwards RTI Legislation to Parliament
Ghana’s cabinet has approved a right to information bill and sent it to parliament, where previous bills supported by several former presidents have died in recent years. President John Mahama has said he will sign a bill and a top minister said the president “places a premium on the expeditious passage of the bill.” The Cabinet action […]
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7 June 2013
Ukrainian Groups Appeal for Amendments to Access Law
Ukrainian nongovernmental organizations are campaigning for the Ukrainian Parliament to adopt a bill that would allow for the improved enforcement of the 2012 access to information law. The groups are urging the approval of Draft Law No. 0947 before summer recess. The draft law, pending since May 2012, includes amendments in more than 55 legislative acts and […]
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7 June 2013
Connecticut Bars Disclosing Photos of Homicide Victims
Photographs of homicide victims will not be disclosable in the U.S. state of Connecticut under a new law. Written in the wake of the shootings of 26 persons in December 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the legislation (Senate Bill No. 1149) was passed overwhelmingly June 5 and signed by the governor June 6. Originally limited […]
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7 June 2013
Group Urges UNCAC to Prioritize FOI Laws
Access Info Europe May 29 said the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) needs to make access to information a higher priority. “The right of access to information is a key tool for the prevention of corruption, yet there is no mention of it in the work plan of the UNCAC’s Working Group on Corruption […]
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6 June 2013
Danish Parliament Adopts Controversial FOI Changes
The Danish parliament May 4 approved controversial changes to its public information law that will reduce the availability of documents prepared during the development of new policies and legislation. The law will exempt disclosure of correspondence between ministries and the civil service if a minister is requesting advice. Ministers’ calendars also are made exempt. Passage […]
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3 June 2013
Indian CIC Says Political Parties Covered by RTI Law
India’s Central Information Commission June 3 ruled that political parties are covered by the Right to Information law. The Commission in a 54-page decision said the six national parties receive substantial indirect funding from the central government and perform public functions, thus making them public authorities under the law. Unless overturned by a court, the […]
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31 May 2013
Nigerian Judiciary Supporting New FOI Law, Group Reports
Court rulings in Nigeria are consistently upholding the two-year-old freedom of information law, according to a Nigerian watchdog group. Media Rights Agenda praised the judiciary, saying that most rulings have counteracted refusal to disclose information by public institutions. The May 28 press release cited a number of specific examples. MRA’s Deputy Executive Director Jennifer Onyejekwe […]
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31 May 2013
UN Panel Includes RTI, Better Data as Development Goals
A high-level panel charged by the United Nations with drafting a post-2015 development agenda has included the better use of data and right to information in its report. Under Goal 10, “Ensure Good Governance and Effective Institutions,” it proposes the objective: “Guarantee the public’s right to information and access to government data.” RTI is listed […]
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31 May 2013
Russian House Adopts Criticized Open Data Bill
The lower house of the Russian parliament has adopted amendments to require the publication of information on the websites of governments in open data formats. The Duma, however, did not revise the bill to take into account a number of proposals to improve the FZ-8 submitted by the Freedom of Information Foundation. “As is seen, […]
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31 May 2013
EITI Adds Contracts, Licenses to Required Disclosure List
A higher standard of performance has been issued by the Extractive Industries Initiative, which held its annual meeting in Sydney, Australia, May 24-26. Member countries will now need to release information about production volumes and mining licenses on a project-by-project basis. EITI countries will have to maintain a public register that lists the company name, […]
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31 May 2013
FOI Notes: Directory of Transparency Activists Started, OGP Newsletter, U.S., Open Data, More
Transparency Activist Directory: The U.S. Sunlight Foundation announced in a blog post that it has begun to create “a repository of civil society organizations working around transparency and open data issues from all around the world.” The group invited additions to its draft spreadsheet with more than 500 entries, not editable – available here. Submissions should […]
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29 May 2013
Kenyan Officials Say Lack of FOI Hampers Open Data
The lack of a freedom of information law in Kenya is stymieing efforts to post more government data online, according to two top officials, quoted in an article in the Daily Nation and another in Africa Review “The fact that the Freedom of Information Act is yet to go through Parliament is a major bottleneck because […]
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23 May 2013
What Happened With Transparency Legislation Reform in Mexico?
By Guillermo Ávila Ávila is a researcher at Fundar, Center of Analysis and Research. As perhaps you already know, one of the main proposals of the Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto, during the presidential campaign was a very deep and comprehensive reform to foster the transparency policy in Mexico. He actually presented a bill, through […]