EU Public Access Policy News

The European Ombudsman, an official who investigates complaints about EU administration, issued a 13 May 2008 press release stating:

In light of the anticipated reform of the EU's rules on public access to documents, the Ombudsman has decided to consult his national colleagues in the European Network of Ombudsmen on how the issue of access to information in databases is dealt with in their respective countries. The Ombudsman himself has already proposed a general obligation for the EU administration to make new databases as easily accessible as possible. He hopes to be informed until the end of May by his colleagues of national "best practices" aimed at guaranteeing maximum public access to information stored in databases.

The action was motivated by "a complaint from a Danish journalist about the refusal of the European Commission to disclose data on beneficiaries of EU agricultural subsidies. The Commission justified its refusal on grounds of confidentiality. Furthermore, it argued that the EU's rules on access to documents apply to databases only if the data can be easily retrieved."

(Hat tip to bespacific.com.)