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Constitutional Provisions, Laws and Regulations

Constitutional Provisions, Laws and Regulations relevant to the Right to Information

Following are weblinks to constitutional provisions, laws and regulations relevant to the right to information, listed alphabetically by country.

Inclusion in this list does not reflect any assessment that the cited provisions in law or fact guarantee or implement a right to information. Rather, this list is intended to be a reference tool and so aims to include all provisions that might be relevant to understanding the legal regime concerning access to information. Conversely, the fact that a country does not appear on this list does not mean that it has no access to information laws, only that we do not have links to or copies of them.

We have included official websites where we have them, but many links are to unofficial websites which we are well aware often include outdated texts, bad translations and simply incorrect information (e.g., re: date of adoption). 

We aim to include only links to official sources; failing that, we aim to include after every link an indication as to whether or not it is an official source. In the text below, the reader may assume that versions posted on government websites (of parliament, Constitutional Court, or other body) are official versions, and that versions posted on legislationline.org and other non-governmental sites are not official.

Ultimately, we aim to post the following information for every country that has a constitutional, statutory or significant regulatory provision addressing access to public information.

  • Constitution: date of adoption and entry into force (if different), numbers (or other designations) of articles that refer to access to information (including a right to, or freedom of, environmental, personal, or other information), links to original and English versions (official sources).
  • ATI Law – the name of the law with dates of adoption and entry into force, in original language and English translation, with links to both, preferably to a consolidated version incorporating all amendments currently in force, and where not available, indication of lack of availability of a consolidated version. Most consolidated versions make reference to amendments, but if not, we will reference and link to these separately, especially where the amendment may be of interest to advocates in other countries.[1]
  • Implementing regulations in original and English translation, with links to both.[2]
  • State secrets laws.
  • Data protection laws.
  • Archives laws.
  • Environmental ATI laws.  
  • Most relevant sectoral ATI laws (consumer-related issues, police records, commercial interests, etc).
  • Administrative procedure codes or rules, relevant provisions, e.g., concerning the filing of appeals or petitions.
  • Laws and regulations governing access to legislative information.
  • Laws and regulations governing access to judicial information.

We have included links to the laws of some territories and provinces under the heading of the national state to which the territory or province belongs. We will consider adding more such links over time.

** We welcome better weblinks, corrected and updated information, and references to or hard copy versions of additional laws.  Please send us whatever corrections and additions you have.

 

Albania

 

Angola

 

Antigua & Barbuda

 

Armenia

 

Australia

 

Austria

 

Azerbaijan

 

Bangladesh

 

Belgium

 

Belize

 

Bosnia & Herzegovina

 

Brazil

 

Bulgaria

 

Canada

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland & Labrador

  • Regional Health Authorities Act
  • Regional Health Authorities Regulations

Northwest Territories

Nova Scotia

Nunavut (Territory)

  • Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act

Ontario

    http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90m56_e.htm

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon (Territory)


Chile

 

China

  • Provisions of the People’s Republic of China on the Disclosure of Government Information 2007, adopted by the State Council January 17, 2007; Effective May 1, 2008, http://chinesefoi.org/regulation.aspx (unofficial translation)

    Hong Kong

 

Colombia

 

Commonwealth

 

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

 

Croatia

           

Czech Republic

 

Denmark

 

Dominican Republic

 

Ecuador

           

Estonia

 

Ethiopia

 

Fiji

 

Finland

 

France

 

Georgia

 

Germany

Berlin

Brandenburg

Bremen

Hamburg

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

 

Nordrhein-Westfalen

Saarland

Sachsen-Anhalt
 Schleswig-Holstein

Thüringer

Ghana

 

Greece

 

Honduras

 

Hungary

  • Constitution 1949, Article 61 http://www.mkab.hu/content/en/encont5.htm (Constitutional Court website)
  • Act LXIII on the Protection of Personal Data and Public Access to Data of Public Interest 1992 http://abiweb.obh.hu/dpc/index.php?menu=gyoker/relevant/national/1992_LXIII
  • Act XC of 2005 on the Freedom of Information by Electronic Means www.legislationline.org/upload/legislations/62/4b/5f8198445594dde5c2e5b1cb90b4.pdf
  • Act LXVI on Public Records, Public Archives, and the Protection of Private Archives www.legislationline.org/legislation.php?tid=219&lid=7095&less=false
  • Act XXIV of 2003 ‘Glass Pocket Act’ (a transparency amendment package)
  • Act CXXIX of 2003 on Public Procurement  
  • Act LX of 2003 on insurance companies and activities (insurance secret exemption)
  • Act CXX of 2001 on capital market (business and securities secret exemption)
  • Act LXXXI of 2001 on the Aarhus Convention
  • Act LXXXV of 1998 on National Security Superintendence (body and rules of handling NATO, EU and WEU data)                                                  
  • Act CXII of 1996 on credit institutions and financial enterprises (bank secret exemption)
  • Act CXXV of 1995 on National Security Agencies (national security exemption)
  • Act LXV of 1995 on State and Service Secrets (state secret exemption)
  • Act LIII of 1995 on general rules of environmental protection
  • Act XXXIV of 1994 on Police (public security exemption)
  • Act XXXVIII of 1992 on Public Finance Art. 15/A and 15/B (proactive FOI - public funds)
  • Act LXV of 1990 on local governments
  • Act IV of 1959 Civil Code Art.  81 (business secret exemption)

 

Iceland

 

Ireland

 

India

 

Indonesia

 

Israel

  • Freedom of Information Law 1998 (5758), adopted May 17, 1998, entered into force May 29, 1999, with amendments: 2002 on Exclusion of certain security units from scope of the law; 2005 on Proactive disclosure of environmental information held by public authorites; 2007 on Inclusion of Government-owned corporations in scope of the law, http://www.knesset.gov.il/laws/special/heb/freedom_info.htm (official source, Hebrew); English version  (unofficial source, original act without amendments, no English version on the internet)

 

Italy

  • Legge n. 241/90 in materia de procedimento administrativo e di diritto di acceso ai documenti administrativi – Law No. 241/90 on administrative procedure and the right of access to administrative documents – Arts. 22 to 28, http://www.giustizia.it/cassazione/leggi/l241_90.html (consolidated text, official source)
  • Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri 10 marzo 1999, n. 294. Regolamento recante norme per la disciplina delle categorie di documenti in possesso degli organismi di informazione e di sicurezza sottratti al diritto di acceso ai documenti administrativi, in attuazione dell`articolo 24, c.4 della legge 7 agosto 1990, n. 241
  • Decreto legislativo 30 giugno 2003, n. 196 Codice in Materia di Protezione dei Dati Personali,  http://www.garanteprivacy.it/garante/doc.jsp?ID=1311248  (consolidated text, official Source); Personal Data Protection Code,  Legislative Decree No. 196 of 30 June 2003, http://www.garanteprivacy.it/garante/document?ID=1219452 (English version, official source)
  • Law No. 15 of 11 February 2005
  • Legge n. 124 3 Agosto 2007 Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica
    e nuova disciplina del segreto –Law No. 124 of 3 August 2007 (reformed the secret services and the regime of state secrets in order to counter terrorism), http://www.parlamento.it/leggi/07124l.htm (Italian version, official source, non- consolidated text), http://www.altalex.com/index.php?idnot=37910 (English version, non-official source)

 

Jamaica

 

Japan

 

Jordan

 

Kazakhstan    

 

Kosovo

 

Kyrgyzstan

 

Latvia

 

Liechtenstein

 

Lithuania

 

Macedonia

 

Malawi

 

Mexico

 

Moldova

 

Montenegro

 

Mozambique

 

Nepal

 

Netherlands

    *Note: The version on this website contains many errors.[3]

 

New Zealand

           

Nicaragua

 

Norway

           

Pacific

 

Panama

 

Papua New Guinea

 

Paraguay

 

Peru

 

Philippines

 

Poland

 

Portugal

           

Romania

 

Russian Federation

 

Serbia

 

Slovakia

  • Constitution 1992, Article 26(5) and 45 http://www-8.vlada.gov.sk/index.php?ID=1376
  • Act on Free Access to Information 2000 www.legislationline.org/legislation.php?tid=219&lid=6445&less=false
  • Act on Protection of Personal Data www.legislationline.org/upload/legislations/88/08/01db18825e6d0963fbb670954946.pdf
  • Act on Collecting and Disseminating of Environmental Information (concerns only collecting and disseminating of environmental information - access to environmental information on request is regulated by general FOI Act)
  • Act on Protection on Classified Information
  • Commercial Code
  • Administrative Code
  • Civil Code
  • Act on Archives and Registries
  • Act on Authorial right and rights related to authorial right
  • Act on Public Procurement
  • Act on municipalities
  • Act on the self-government of regions
  • Act on state statistics
  • Act on protection of public interest with regard to execution of functions of public officials (so called “Act on Conflict of Interests”)
  • Criminal Procedure Code
  • Civil Procedure Code

 

Slovenia

 

South Africa

 

South Korea

  • Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies 1996 www.freedominfo.org/documents/korea%20980258118__korea.doc
  • Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Data Protection www.worldlii.org/int/other/PrivLRes/2005/2.html
  • Act on Protection of Personal Information Maintained by Public Agencies
  • National Security Act
  • Act on the Inspection and Investigation of State Administration
  • Public Service Ethics Act
  • National Intelligence Service Act
  • Protection of Communications Secrets Act
  • Criminal Code
  • Criminal Procedure Act
  • Administrative Appeals Act
  • Use and Protection of Credit Information Act
  • Framework Act on the Management of Government-Invested Institutions
  • Banking Act

 

Spain

  • Constitución 1978 - Constitution 1978 – Articles 20 and 105 (b), http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Admin/constitucion.t4.html (consolidated text, non-official source)
  • Ley 30/1992, de 26 de noviembre, de Régimen Jurídico de las Administraciones Públicas y del Procedimiento Administrativo Común - Law 30/92 on Legal Regime of Public Administration and Administrative Procedure,