EU Transparency

Campaign on the reform of EU access to documents Regulation

Access Info Europe is calling for civil society support for the campaign on the reform of the EU access to documents Regulation, which aims to strengthen the right of access to EU documents or, at the very least, to avoid any narrowing of the current right of access to documents.

Access Info Europe has prepared a briefing paper setting out the key points where reform of Regulation 1049 is necessary to bring it into line with the TFEU and international standards on the right of access to information, now that the reform process appears to be moving again.

We are calling on all members of civil society to add their support by signing on to 20 civil society demands for the reform of the EU access to documents regulation. Please email Anne Vandelle with the name of your organisation, the name of its representative, and your logo at anne @ access-info.org as soon as possible.
– To date (8 March), 30 organisations have joined the campaign:

The Danish Presidency of the European Union is aiming to reach agreement on the reform of the EU’s Access to Documents rules, as contained in Regulation 1049/2001, in the first half of 2012.

This is a welcome move, given that discussion has been dragging on since 2008, although the reform was given new impetus in December 2011 when the European Parliament adopted its first reading position on the proposed reforms. An analysis of the Commission’s and the Parliament’s proposals can be found here, along with specific recommendations from Access Info Europe for the refom of the Regulation.

On 13 February the Danish Presidency presented a “non-paper” which is a discussion document which aims to provide a basis for a consensus to emerge between the Parliament, Council and Commission. Access Info Europe’s analysis of this document can be found here.

The opportunity for reform is bolstered by the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) which, after the incorporation of the Lisbon Treaty recognises “a right of access to documents of the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, whatever their medium.”

Key documents:

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
Original Regulation 1049/2001
Commission’s 2008 proposal for amending the Regulation
Commission’s 2011 proposal to align the Regulation with the Lisbon Treaty
Parliament’s first reading position, 15 December 2011
Commission’s reaction to Parliament’s first reading position
Council document: non-paper by the Danish Presidency

For more information, please contact Pamela Bartlett Quintanilla via email (pam @ access-info.org) or telephone: +34 913652634.