Access to public information needs safeguards in CEE, CIS: seminar in Estonia

Tallinn, May 21, 2002 - The Open Estonia Foundation, in cooperation with the Estonian Newspaper Association, organized an international seminar "Transparency and Opennness in the Public Sphere" in Tallinn from May 17-18.

Participants from 16 countries called for more safeguards to secure the implementation of access to public information laws in Central and Eastern Europe and CIS. Participants represented NGOs, the media sector, civil servants, freedom of information (FOI) experts.

Seminar organizer Ivar Tallo said the event achieved its aim of enabling a fruitful  exchange of views and experience of how to create and implement FOI legislation.

Among the topics needing a follow-up, participants mentioned the following:
1) further co-ordination of the legislative process,
2) exchange of experince in implementing FOI laws,
3) training of journalists on how to use FOI laws for the public benefit.

Several sessions were devoted to the case of Estonia: its new FOI law and the e-government.

Estonian Newspaper Association (EALL)