Pushing for Accountability of Government through Access to Information Legal Assistance and Litigation
May 1, 2009 – April 30, 2012
Donor of the project: Open Society Institute,
Human Rights and Governance Grants Program, Budapest
Description: The aim of this project is to push for enforcement of overriding public interest amendments to the APIA in Bulgaria by encouraging and facilitating public demand for public information.
Main project activities are the following:
- Providing consultancy in the AIP office on everyday basis to journalists, NGOs and citizens in cases where they seek information and in cases of refusal;
- Filing applications and submissions to the administrative courts;
- Representing access to information cases in courts;
- Systematizing of the litigation practices;
- Presenting results from litigation on a national conference before lawyers and other interested parties;
- Permanent media campaign on ATI cases and practices through publications in FOI Newsletter, central and local media, FOIANetwork mailing list, on the website;
- Cooperation with partner organizations.
Expected results:
- Increased awareness of citizens, NGOs, and journalists of their right to access government held information;
- Increased number of successful cases when information of high public interest is sought;
- Disseminated knowledge of successful cases to the public at large;
- More encouraged people to exercise their right of access to information;
- Increased knowledge of public administration to apply the public interest test;
- Analysis of access to information litigation practices in Bulgaria;
- Establishment of more consistent and advance court practice;
- Increased government openness and accountability in the fields of: public registers, public procurements, public sector services performed by private companies;
- Regional and international exchange of information on access to information litigation.
More information
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Litigation under the Access to Public Information Legislation
In July 2012, Access to Information Programme launched the fifth book which is part of the continuous analyses we make on the Access to Public Information Act litigation in Bulgaria. The book contains analysis and commentary on the litigation on specific issues related to the free access to information and its restrictions. The book also contains summaries of sixteen court cases which have resulted in changes in the practices and the strengthening of the principles of the right of access to information. Authors of the analytical part are the attorneys-at-law from AIP legal team Alexander Kashumov, head of the team, and Kiril Terziiski.
On October 31, 2012, Access to Information Programme (AIP) presented the book in the Union of Bulgarian Jurists. More than 50 attended – journalists, lawyers, representatives of the authorities and the business, academics, AIP clients, partners and friends.
The publication of the book was possible with the financial support of Open Society Institute within the project Pushing for Accountability of Government through Access to Information Legal Assistance and Litigation.
Litigation under the Access to Public Information Legislation (PDF file), Access to Information Programme, 2012, 168 pages, ISBN 978-954-9953-49-7 |
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International “Access to Information Litigation in Bulgaria” Conference was held on April 15, 2011 in Sofia
The conference was organized and held by AIP in the frame of the project Pushing for Accountability of Government through ATI Legal Assistance and Litigation, financed by the Open Society Institute,
Human Rights and Governance Grants Program, Budapest.
Among the 100 participants were lawyers, judges from administrative courts, representatives of NGOs, media, activists, citizens who have submitted ATI requests and have appealed refusals in the court.
The Ombudsman of Bulgaria, Mr. Konstantin Penchev and the Chairperson of the Administrative Court Sofia City, Mr. Lozan Panov addressed the audience at the opening. Foreign experts from Armenia, Hungary, Rumania, Slovakia, and UK took part in the conference. They discussed the access to information litigation experience accumulated in Bulgaria during 2009-2011, more precisely related to the exemptions of the right of access to information; to access to public bodies contracts; openness of decision-making process; and access to information of high public interest. Please, refer to the agenda of the conference.
Experience in the defense of the right of access to information at an European level was shared by Mr. Tony Bunyan (Director of Statewatch).
Pictures from the conference can be viewed here.
Summaries of court decisions delivered on strategic access to information cases assisted by AIP can be found here. Statistics and analyses of access to information litigation is part of AIP annual report Access to Information in Bulgaria.
Statistics and characteristics of cases referred to AIP for legal help by journalists, citizens, and NGOs can be found here.
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