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Freedom
of
Information - also known as the public's right to know or
administrative transparency - gives citizens access to official
information hold by government and other public authorities. In 1766 a Freedom
of
Information Law (Tryckfrihetsförordningen) was introduced in Sweden-Finland,
thanks to a Finn
named Anders
Chydenius,
who fought for democracy, equality, and respect for the human rights. 1888
followed Columbia, 1919
in constitution and 1951 law in Finland (independent
1917) and 1966 in USA.
Since then more than 80 countries adopted such laws. Many countries guarantee FOI in constitutions. More thens 115 states with more then 5,5 billion inhabitants adopted FOI laws or provisions in constitutions.The global trends are that FOI is recognized as human right. All countries in Europe have FOI laws or are preparing bills. Nearly all OECD countries and all developed countries recognize Freedom of information. Right2Info.org gives an overview. Transparency was the Word of the Year 2003 and 28. September 2003 the "Right to Know" Day.
26. January 2012: What has to be
done to improve transparency and fight against corruption in
Germany?
1 . September 2011:
Can OSCE and CoE promote access to
information for Germany
16. June 2011: Freedom of information missing in 6th German ICCPR state report.
11. February 2011: Germany asked to remove the human right of access to public documents and other human rights.
01. August 2010: Norway: Ca. 1200 requests per 100 000 inhabitants, i.e. twice as much as in USA (A6 list).
18. May 2010: Norwegian Government: Every citizen now able to look public authorities in the cards (Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs)
28. January 2010: My advice to Prime Minister Stoltenberg of Norway.
14. April 2009: ECHR Application no. 37374/05 by TÁSZ against Hungary recognizes access to public documents as human right.
06. February 2008: Germany should Sign and Ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Access to Official Documents.
02. December 2008: Norwegian Foreign Ministry answers.
17. November 2008: Application to Norwegian Foreign Minister to access documents on Convention on Access to Official Documents
Summer 2008: When
will the last 5 German states adopt FOI laws? 
6. October 2008: European Parliamentarians Call on Council of Europe to Redraft Substandard Convention on Access to Official Documents
11. August 2008: Letter to Chairman of CoE ministers about Convention on Access to Official Documents.
01. May 2008: Consumer Information Act in force in federation and most states.
10. December 2007: "Recognise My Right" Campaign to support the work of the Council of Europe
15. October 2007: Council of Europe Treaty on Access to Documents. Civil Society Calls for Urgent Action: Draft Convention Fails to Ensure Adequate Protection of Right to Information.
28. June 2007: ECHR application no. 31583/07
on publication of income and sideline job of MPs.
24. April 2007: China finally approaches freedom of information jurisdiction – Decree on release of government information passed. Snell/Xiao: FOI returns to China.
01. March 2007: Fundamental Rights Agency: Access to Information and other Violations of Human Rights in Germany (E-mail). Answer
21. November 2006: What will the Commissioner for Human Rights report on visiting Germany?
16.
October
2006: Justice Initiative Intervenes in ECHR Strasbourg Freedom of
Information Case: Application no. 11721/04.
GERAGUYN KHORHURD PATGAMAVORAKAN AKUMB v. ARMENIA.
08.
August 2006: Realization of Freedom of Information failed
in 8 German Local States.
01. Aug. 2006: Will the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) promote human rights in Germany? Answer.
05.June 2006: FOI in Germany: Six Months After Implementation: Last slide: Federal government does not favour binding convention
01. June 2006: Will the EU Network of independent experts on fundamental rights promote human rights in Germany? Funding stopped.
16. May 2006: How much uranium is in mineral water?
3. April 2006: Access Info Europe suggests to give a binding convention for access to information.
01. Jan. 2006: Will the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe promote Freedom of information? Petition transmitted to competent committee.
10. Dec. 2005: Petition EU Parliament: Suggestion to start consultations with German parliaments.
14. Nov. 2005: Human Rights for Citizens and Patients and Securing Freedom of Information in Constitution.
11. Nov. 2005:
Complaint to ECHR.
8 March 2006: The Court will
deal with the case as soon as possible.
19. Oct. 2005: Complaint to UN Petition team.
07. Sep. 2005: Petition to add access to public information to constitution.
18. Aug. 2005: Will Constitutional Court take International Law and Human Rights into account?
30. July 2005: When will FOI be realized in local states?
08. July 2005: Bundesrat approves FOI law. The Federal Data Protection Commissioner will become also Commissioner for Freedom of Information.
03. June 2005: Parliament Bundestag approved FOI law. Will Senate (Bundesrat) correct this?
01. June 2005: Hillbilly CSU Zeitlmann says FOI law is harmful and unnecessary.
30. June 2005: Defending violations of privacy more important for press then Freedom of information?
11. May 2005: Parliamentary Reading of FOIA cancelled.
14. Mar. 2005: Hearing: German Parliament about a FOI draft law.
15. Dec. 2004: Germany's ruling coalition gets serious about freedom of information.
13. Dec. 2004: Complaint to OSCE (Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe). Answer.
28. Sep. 2004: Who supports Access to Information for Germany?
06. Nov. 2004: In my opinion Germany must be
sentenced: Info
to EU Commission.
19. Oct. 2004: It is possible to force access to documents by court case? Question of access is not even admissable.
28. Sep. 2004: What can one expect from international organisations e.g. UN, EU, CoE, OSCE?
02. Mar. 2004:German NGOs publish their own FOI draft law.
27. Feb. 2004: EU directive on FOI for Germany? Liberation from Nazi law on Legal Advice? False report to UN?
06. Feb. 2004: Will the administrative
court promote Freedom of Information? Cost
of case € 770.- for 15 copies
21. Dec. 2003: Petition on Human Rights Violations in
Germany: Invitation of the Human Rights Commissioner. Survey.
13. Dec. 2003: 68th Anniversary of Nazi Law on
Legal Advice.
18. Nov. 2003: Info to Commissioner for Human
Rights of the Council of Europe. Answer.
22. Oct. 2003: Germany violates Human rights, but makes false reports.
23. June 2003: Swedish solution for Freedom of Information in Germany?
24. Feb. 2003: Will chancellor Schröder promote Freedom of Information?
17. Jan. 2003: Why failed Freedom of Information in Germany?
23. June 2002:
Result: I was enthusiastic
one
year ago, because Germany had the chance to catch up
with the international development. Who
is responsible for that this chance was wasted?
29. May 02: Would a web site www.article19.de help?
22. May 02: EU COM (2002) 247: Communication from the Commission - A project for the European Union: 1.2 The Union must build up an EU-wide area of freedom, security and justice. Europe-Now.org
08.05.02: Will chancellor candidate Stoiber promote Freedom of Information?
06.05.02: Constitutional Complaint: Freedom of Information for Germany. No right to a fair answer.
27.04.02: Letter to EU Convention. Answer.
26.04.02: New Corruption Measure Not Expected to Cause Much Pain. By Eva Busse. FAZ
24.04.02: Land Baden-Württemberg votes against freedom of information.
18.04.02: Letter
to the President of the EU Commission. Answer
of the Commission. Courrier
du Citoyen. EU did not stress
me
18.04.02: Complaint to Centre for Human Rights of the United Nations (copy to Bundestag (German parliament) and Landtag)
16.02.02: Letter to EU Council: Councils answer to Communication (93) 191. My confirmation of recept.
06.01.02: Letter to Council of Europe
02.01.02: To attract additional interest to freedom of information (described in my German page) this page was created to try to gain support of the European institutions and the European public.
27.12.01: Petition to the European Parliament. Addition 7. July 2002. Admission and conclusion: Improving the protection of the rights and interests of citizens of the Member States of the Union is listed in Article 2 as an objective of the Union. (see page 7/173 doc. A5-0318/2000).
20.12.01: Petition to German Parliament
23.06.01: The German ministry of internal affairs invited citizens to participate in an Internet Discussions. I welcome the plans of a freedom of information law for Germany, a chance to catch up with the international development.
Albania,
Argentina, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Australia,
Austria, Belarus,
Belgium, Belize,
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Brazil, Bulgaria,
Canada, Colombia,
Council
of Europe, The
Czech Republic, Denmark, Eritrea,
Estonia, European
Union, Finland, Fiji,
France, Georgia,
Germany, Greece,
Hong Kong, Hungary,
Iceland, India,
Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Jamaica,
Japan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Macedonia (FYROM), Mexico,
Moldova, Mongolia,
Nigeria, The
Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Pakistan,
Panama, Peru,
The Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Russia,
Slovak Republic, Slovenia,
South Africa, South
Korea, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Tajikistan,
Thailand, Trinidad und Tobago, Turkmenistan,
Uganda, Ukraine,
United Kingdom, United
States
of America, Uzbekistan.
The global
trends
on the right to information are investigated by ARTICLE
19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression. Considering both laws
and constitutions FOI
is
widely recognized as human right. Right2Info.org
gives an overview. FOI
is based on
right2know.org
gives
an overview on constitutional protection of the right to information:
In Sweden - with longest tradition - FOI is found in the Constitution
(Chapter
2,
Article 1 (2)). The constitutions of
many other countries i. e. Albania
(Art. 23), Belarus (Art.
34), Belgium (Art. 32), Bulgaria
(Art.
41), Croatia
(only
for journalists: Art. 38), Czech
Republic
(Charter
of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms: Art. 17), Estonia
(Art. 44), Finland (Constitution,
Section 12),
Georgia (Art. 41), Hungary
(Art. 61),
Lithuania
(Art. 25), Macedonia
(Art.
16), Moldavia
(Art. 34), Netherlands (Art. 110), Poland
(Art.
61), Portugal (Art. 268), Rumania
(Art.
31), Russian
Federation
(Art. 29), Slovenia
(Art.
39), Slovakia
(Art.
26), Spain
(Art. 105 b), Argentina
(Art.
43), Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Malawi
(Art. 37), Mongolia
(Art.
16, 17), Mozambique
(Art.
74), Nepal (Art. 16),
Panama
(Art. 42,43,44), the Philippines
(Art. III, Sec. 7), Peru
(Art. 200(3)), the Republic
of
South Africa (sec. 16), Tanzania
(Art. 18(2)), Tajikistan,
Thailand
(Sec. 58), and Turkmenistan
(26) all guarantee the right to access information held by the
State.
The EU
Charter
of Fundamental Rights gives a right of access to European
Parliament, Council and Commission documents.
FOI laws came first to Scandinavia (Sweden
(1766), Finland, Norway,
Denmark
and Island),
then
to English speaking countries (USA
(1966), Ireland
und England (UK))
and at last to German speaking countries (Austria
(1986), Switzerland und Germany).
FOI laws in other European countries are collected here. Germany still lacks Freedom of Information in 5 of 16 states as nearly the only major country in Europe.
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Freedom
of Information came 1766
to Sweden, 1919
to
Finland, 1966
to
den USA, 1970 to Norway and
1985 to
Denmark In 1981 the Council of Europe gave "Recommendation
No.
R (81) 19" on the access to information held by public authorities.
A new Recommendation
Rec(2002)2 was adopted 2002. Both EU and nearly all countries in the
EU and Europe adopted such laws. However citizen rights vary and there are
no minimum standards. In order to keep up with the international
development freedom of information should be strengthened in EU member
states. Here is a petition to the European
Parliament.
Support Freedom of Information, by
the
following
call of Statewatch (click here):
I/We
support the call to EU institutions for a democratic and accountable
"Open Europe" on access to documents.
Freedom of Information came 1919
to
Finland, 1949
to Sweden, 1966
to
den USA, 1970 to Norway and
1985 to
Denmark. In 1981 the Council of Europe gave "Recommendation
No.
R (81) 19" on the access to information held by public authorities.
Germany is the only country in the EU without such a law. In order to keep
up with the international development freedom of information should also
be adopted in Germany.
Support the German Freedom of Information Law, by
the
following E-Mail to the German Government (click here):
I
support the call to the German Government for a democratic and
accountable Freedom of Information Law on access to public
documents.
(You may change the text according to your needs).
The
Federal Republic of Germany is the only country in the EU without FOI. But
11 of 16 federal local states (Bundesländer) Brandenburg,
Berlin,
Schleswig-Holstein,
North
Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen,
Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania, Saarland, Hamburg, Thuringia
and Rheinland-Pfalz have adopted FOI. Opposition
parties in the states of Bavaria, Hesse, Lower
Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt
have suggested FOI laws. Unfortunately parliaments in Baden-Württemberg,
Bavaria, Hesse and Saxony have voted against FOI laws.
Support the Freedom of Information Laws in the states of: Baden-Württemberg,
Bavaria,
Hesse,
Lower
Saxony, Saxony,
Saxony-Anhalt
with the following E-Mail:
I
support
the
call to the German Local State (Bundesland) Government for a
democratic and accountable Freedom of Information Law on access to
public documents.
(This E-Mails is send to the parties governing the state, with a copy to
the opposition suggesting the FOI law. You may change the text according
to your needs).
Warning: I do not accept any liability that the information on these pages is correct, accurate or up to date!
Please feel free to link this site!
Thanks to all, who gave me this information. Please do not hesitate to mail me if you have additional information.
Visitor No. since
2.
January 2002
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