By Decision No. 6689 as of 3 November 2015 (in Bulgarian), the Administrative Court Sofia - City (ACSC) repealed the refusal of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) to provide information about the identification and eradicating cases of brucellosis in stray dogs in the stray dogs’ shelters.
The information was requested by the Regional Environmental Center - Intimate with the Nature Society.
On the grounds that the requested information constituted preparatory documents with no significance of its own, the Agency refused access to the orders of the Director of the BFSA for sampling; to the documents evidencing that laboratories which tested samples have the necessary accreditation; as well as the type of tests and methodology for testing.
The court found that the requested information was not of a preparatory character and was not related to the issuing of a final act by the public body. The court panel emphasized that the information was public and its disclosure would allow the requestor to form their own opinion on the work of the BFSA with regard to sampling and testing samples in the cases of brucellosis in stray dogs.
The court decision is subject to appeal.