Free access to the documents and information of the EU institutions from the point of view of Czech legislation

Abstract

Free access to information is considered to be one of the most important fundamental political rights of citizens. Free access to information has a long history originating in Sweden in the 18th century and has since then been incrementally constitutionalised in most of the democratic countries. It is worth studying the fact that legislation regulating this question in European Union legal systems, and in the Czech Republic as well, started much later — fifteen years ago at the beginning of the millennium. Even though the age of both the acts — EU (the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council (EC) No. 1049/2001 of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents) and Czech (the Act (CZ) on Free Access to Information No. 106/1999) is the same, the legislation itself differs significantly and they both have legal shortcomings. The analysis of the EU legislation granting free access to information of the EU institutions from the Czech perspective brings interesting and inspiring ideas for reforms — especially of the EU legislation.