Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year! 20.12.2012
The team of Access to Information Programme wishes you health and successful initiatives in 2013!
Measuring Transparency – Is a Global Index Possible and Necessary?* 20.12.2012
Access to Information Programme Executive Director Gergana Jouleva reflects on the discussion of a Global Transpareny Index. She also outlines approaches of monitoring access to information and active transparency used by Access to Information Programme during its sixteen years of advocacy work. The article was published in AIP Monthly FOI Newsletter, issue 11(107), November 2012 disseminated to 2,300 subscribers (in Bulgarian).
Litigation Under Access to Information Legislation 19.11.2012
On October 31, 2012, Access to Information Programme (AIP) presented its book Litigation Under Access to Information Legislation. The book is part of the continuous analyses which AIP has been making on the Access to Public Information Act litigation in Bulgaria and is the fifth from the series: http://www.aip-bg.org/en/publications/books/. Authors are the attorneys-at-law from AIP legal team Alexander Kashumov, head of the team, and Kiril Terziyski. The foreword is by Gergana Jouleva, AIP Executive Director.
Better Government through Openness 07.11.2012
Sofia – First Мeeting of Non-governmental Organizations related to the Global Initiative Open Government Partnership. On October 15, 2012, the First Мeeting of civil society organizations involved in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative took place at the invitation of the Executive Director of Access to Information Programme, Gergana Jouleva. The meeting was held in AIP office and its purpose was to discuss possible forms of partnership with the Bulgarian government and the establishment of a non-formal coalition of NGOs to monitor the implementation of the national operational plan within the OGP.
OGP: Bulgaria - Operational Plan on Undiscussed Strategy 09.10.2012
The Action Plan of Bulgaria was presented at the OGP Annual Meeting in April 2012 in Brazil, where AIP Executive Director Gergana Jouleva delivered a brief analysis on the Bulgarian National Action Plan. In June 2012, the Bulgarian government adopted the Operational Plan for the Implementation of the Action Plan from April 11, 2012. Gergana Jouleva's analysis on the measures provided by the Government Operational Plan was published in AIP FOI Monthly Newsletter, August 2012 (in Bulgarian).
AIP Held the 10th Right to Know Day Awards Ceremony in Bulgaria 28.09.2012
The 10th Right to Know Day Awards Ceremony in Bulgaria was held on 28 September at the Bulgarian News Agency, Sofia. Access to Information Programme opened the event with the song “Breathe,” dedicated to the right to know. Promotional materials, among which the Right to Know Day Magnet, were distributed to the participants in the ceremony. More than 90 attended. The ceremony was broadcast live on Internet. Pictures can be found at AIP web site: http://www.aip-bg.org/about/gallery/. The Right to Know Day Awards Committee selected the winners in the six categories out of 42 nominations
10th Right to Know Day Awards Ceremony in Bulgaria! 19.09.2012
Access to Information Programme (AIP) has just closed the nomination process for the 2012 Right to Know Day Awards. On 28 September 2012 at 12.00 a.m. (EET) at the Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency (49 Tsarigradsko shose Blvd, Sofia), Access to Information Programme will hold the 10th Annual Right to Know Day Awards Ceremony in Bulgaria.
AIP hosted a Study Visit for a Delegation from Ukraina 23.07.2012
Access to Information Programme organized and held a study visit in Sofia to present Bulgaria’s twelve years of Access to Public Information Act implementation experience and good practices to officials from Ukrainian government institutions and NGO representatives during the week 16-20 July 2012. The visit was supported by the Council of Europe and was part of a Joint Programme between the Council of Europe and the European Union. Within the three-day Study Visit, the Ukrainian group visited the National Assembly of Republic of Bulgaria; the Council of Ministries; the State Commission on Information Security; the Committee for disclosing the documents of the Former State Security; and met representatives of the Commission of Personal Data Protection.
AIP Trained Journalists from Shumen, Razgrad, Dobrich, Varna and Silistra 20.07.2012
On July 20, 2012 in Radio Shumen at the town of Shumen, AIP held a training with journalists from Shumen, Razgrad, Dobrich, Varna and Silistra on how to use public registers and on public bodies obligations for active publication of information. The trainings was the last in a series of 7 held within the framework of the project Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government (CAATOG) supported by a grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.
Advocacy for Access to Information – Achievements and Challenges: Summary of speeches and discussions 16.07.2012
Access to Information Programme has summarized the speeches and the outcomes of the discussions during the conference Advocacy for Access to Information – Achievements and Challenges. During the two days conference held by Access to Information Programme on 15-16 June 2012 in Sofia, Bulgaria, leading organizations in the access to information area from 12 countries (Armenia, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Georgia, Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Spain, UK) shared achievements and discussed the challenges for the freedom of information advocates.
15 Years Advocacy for Access to Information – Achievements and Challenges 19.06.2012
AIP Trained Journalists from Kardzhali, Smolyan, and Haskovo 21.05.2012
On May 18, 2012 in the town of Kardzhali, AIP held a training with journalists on how to use public registers and on public bodies obligations for active publication of information. Local media journalists from the towns of Kardzhali, Smolyan, and Haskovo took part. The training was the fourth out of 7 planned in the country. The first was held in in Kyustendil on March 16, 2012, the second - in Vratsa on March 30, and the third in Plovdiv - on April 20. The next will be held in the towns of Veliko Tarnovo (June 29), Sliven (July 13) and Shumen (July 20).
AIP presented the Annual Report Access to Information in Bulgaria 2011 17.05.2012
Results from 2012 AIP Audit on Institutional Web Sites Available in English.First Active Transparency Rating in Bulgaria 10.05.2012
The Access to Information Programme team performed an audit on the institutional web sites within 23.01 – 16.03, 2012. The purpose was to evaluate the legal obligations under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA) and other laws for online publication of information. AIP reviewed and evaluated 474 web sites of 487 executive bodies at a central, regional, and local level.
AIP Trained Journalists from Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, and pazardzhik 23.04.2012
On April 20, 2012 in the town of Plovdiv, AIP held a training with journalists on how to use public registers and on public bodies obligations for active publication of information. Local media journalists from the towns of Stara Zagora and Pazardzhik also took part. The training was the third out of 7 planned in the country. The first was held in in Kyustendil on March 16, 2012, the second - in Vratsa on March 30. The next will be held in the towns of Kardzhali (May 18), Veliko Tarnovo (June 29), Sliven (July 13) and Shumen (July 20).
Access to Information Programme Executive Director, Gergana Jouleva has addressed the Open Government Partnership in Brazil 18.04.2012
Mrs. Jouleva has delivered a brief analysis on the Bulgarian National Action Plan at the OGP annual meeting in Brasilia, Brazil based on the understanding that the right of access to information shall be the core principle endorsed by the Government as it is the basis for open and transparent governance. All countries participating to the Open Government Partnership have to submit a National Action Plan based on the set of five “grand challenges” articulated by the OGP. The Bulgarian concrete commitments and the Action plan are available on the OGP site here.
AIP Presented the 2012 Active Transparency Rating and the Public Registers Portal in Bulgaria 04.04.2012
On April 4, 2012, at a press conference at the Bulgarian News Agency, Access to Information Programme presented the 2012 Active Transparency Rating and the Public Registers Portal in Bulgaria.
The two surveys are made within the implementation of the project Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government, supported by a grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.
AIP Trained Journalists from Vratsa, Pleven, Vidin and Montana 02.04.2012
On March 30, 2012 in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry - town of Vratsa, AIP held a training with journalists on how to use public registers and on public bodies obligations for active publication of information. Local media journalists from Vidin, Pleven, and Montana also took part. The training was the second out of 7 planned in the country. The first was held in in Kyustendil on March 16, 2012. The next will be held in the towns of Plovdiv (April 20), Kardzhali (May 18), Veliko Tarnovo (June 29), Sliven (July 13) and Shumen (July 20). The trainings are held within the framework of the project Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government (CAATOG) supported by a grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.
AIP Held a Training for Journalists from Local Media 19.03.2012
On March 16, 2012 in Hotel Strimon Spa, the town of Kyustendil, AIP held a training with journalists on how to use public registers and on public bodies obligations for active publication. Local media journalists from Kyustendil, Pernik and Blagoevrgad took part. The training was the first out of 7 planned in the country - the next will be held in the towns of Vratsa (March 30), Plovdiv (April 20), Kardzhali (May 18), Veliko Tarnovo (June 29), Sliven (July 13) and Shumen (July 20).The trainings are held within the framework of the project Civil Audit of Active Transparency of Government (CAATOG) supported by a grant from the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.
Lower fees for access to information 16.01.2012
With his order No. 1472 as of November 29, 2011 the Minister of Finance lowered the fees for providing public information under the Access to Public Information Act. The order determines lower fees for disclosure of information on CD – 0.50 BGN compare to the old price of 5 BGN. Reduced price is set up for providing the information on a floppy disk – 0.50 BGN compare to the old price of 1.20 BGN. The order provides for the possibility to obtain the information on a DVD. The price is 0.60 BGN per copy. The disclosure of information verbally or in electronic form (by e-mail) is free of charge. The amendments reflect the AIP recommendations to update and lower the charges stated several times in our annual reports on the access to information in Bulgaria. This order repeals order No. 10 of the Ministry of Finance from 10.01.2001. The new fees came into force on January 1, 2012.