OSCE media freedom representative welcomes Spain’s draft transparency law, says it should be further improved
VIENNA, 11 April 2012 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today welcomed Spain’s draft access to information law, and urged the authorities to consider her Office’s recommendations to ensure that the law is in line with OSCE commitments.
The draft Law on Transparency, Access to Information and Good Governance was presented by the authorities on 26 March, initiating a public consultation that ended yesterday. Mijatović received the draft from the Government and commissioned its review, which has been made available to the authorities in Madrid.
“I welcome the efforts of the Spanish Government to adopt a modern comprehensive access to information law,” said Mijatović. “The current draft is a significant step towards more government accountability and access to information. I hope that the authorities will now consider our recommendations to ensure that the adopted law is in line with the OSCE commitments and international best practices.”
Recommendations offered in the analysis of the draft law include the need to recognize access to information as a fundamental right, to widen the scope of applicability of the law to include judicial bodies and to guarantee the independence of the oversight body.
The full text of the legal analysis of the draft law is available here: //www.osce.org/fom/89577