In advance of the International Day for universal access to information on 28 September, the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has released a new thematic paper on the right to access to information. In it GRECO reiterates that an effective system for accessing official documents and information is essential for combatting corruption, enhancing the accountability of governments and public officials, and enabling citizens to participate in public life in an informed manner.
Regulations, institutions, compliance
The publication provides a comparative cross-country review of its findings in three main areas: the regulatory regime, institutional framework and compliance with national laws. It did so on the basis of GRECO's fifth-round evaluation reports, which focused on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments and law-enforcement agencies.
The paper also stresses the key role of journalists in exposing corruption and holding public authorities to account, while warning that the legal and political pressures they may face can restrict both their work and the public's right to information.
Promising Practices and Identified Shortcomings
Examples of good and promising practice across member states include appointing trained information officers, issuing clear guidelines, developing internal systems for handling requests, establishing independent oversight bodies, assisting individuals exercising their right to access information, and sanctions for non-compliance.
At the same time, GRECO has identified various shortcomings and obstacles: delays in handling requests, insufficient proactive disclosure, overly broad legal restrictions, weak or absent oversight, limited data, and low public awareness of access rights. To address these issues, in its reports, it has recommended adopting access-to-information legislation, ensuring that proactive transparency is legally enshrined and effectively implemented, setting up or strengthening independent oversight mechanisms, and limiting restrictions and exemptions to what is strictly necessary.
GRECO has also urged its member states that have not yet done so to accede to the Council of Europe Convention on access to official documents (the Tromsø Convention), which is the first binding international legal instrument to recognise a general right of access to official information held by public authorities.
GRECO will continue monitoring these aspects in its 6th evaluation round, which focuses on preventing corruption and promoting integrity at the sub-national level.
The New Democratic Pact for Europe
The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) is a Council of Europe body that aims to improve the capacity of its members to fight corruption by monitoring their compliance with anti-corruption standards. It helps states to identify deficiencies in national anti-corruption policies, prompting the necessary legislative, institutional and practical reforms. It comprises the 46 Council of Europe member states, Kazakhstan and the United States of America.
