Date: 15/07/2021 The global pandemic has been used as an excuse for many Balkan states to not fully implement freedom of information laws, leaving the public in the dark. Transparency has been another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. While on paper, freedom of information laws are up-to-date in almost all countries in the region, implementation is patchy at best and has grown worse since governments clamped down on the flow of information with the onset of the coronavirus. Together with journalists, public officers and the Open Government Partnership, Access Info participated in this event led by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network

Date: 24/06/2021 Public procurement (around 13% of the EU’s annual GDP) is a powerful tool for achieving social impact and is key to countries’ performance, especially amid crises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, procurement is used to ensure access to life-saving medicines and to expand opportunities for small and medium businesses devastated by lockdowns. How can governments better leverage procurement as a public service to maximise social impact? How can open approaches to procurement, through open data and accessible digital tools, help us achieve better social impact, including more competition, inclusion and sustainability? In the session "Rule of Law,