'Access to Documents and Transparency in the EU: a practical guide & the future of EU transparency law'

DUBLIN - With the EU playing a greater role in Irish domestic affairs, there is an ever-growing need to make effective requests for documents held by EU institutions.

'Access to Documents and Transparency in the EU: a practical guide & the future of EU transparency law', is a public event jointly hosted by Transparency International Ireland and the Irish Society for European Law (ISEL).

The event will offer journalists and lawyers:
a practical guide to requesting information from the EU;
the remedies and applicable law; and,
a political discussion on current proposals for reform of EU transparency law.

Chair:
Nikiforos Diamandouros, European Ombudsman

Panelists:
Dr. Bart Driessen, Legal Service, Council of the EU; author, "Transparency in EU Institutional Law: A Practitioner's Guide";
Marc Maes, Head of Unit, Transparency, Relations with Stakeholders and External Organisations, Secretariat-General, European Commission;
Ronny Patz, Lecturer in Politics and Governance, University of Potsdam; Advisor, EU Liaison Office, Transparency International; blogger, Polscieu - Ideas on Europe (polscieu.ideasoneurope.eu);

In particular, the focus of our session is:

Practical application of Regulation 1049/2001 (in pdf) (the EU equivalent of Irish Freedom of Information legislation), including:
how to make requests for documents;
costs and time involved;
free internal appeals against initial refusal;
subsequent remedies by litigation in the EU Courts and/or by free complaint to the European Ombudsman;

Recent developments in EU transparency law , including:
developments in case-law, including restrictions on certain documents and extensions in respect of documents prepared in the legislative process;
decisions of the European Ombudsman;
approaches of the institutions to requests for documents;
the Lisbon Treaty (with special consideration of the Charter of Fundamental Rights);

Proposed repeal of Regulation 1049/2001 including its replacement by a new legislative framework currently before the European Parliament.

To book your place, contact us at TI Ireland at 01 6127067 or communications@transparency.ie. Attendance fee for this public event is €10 and free for members of TI Ireland and ISEL.  

Thursday 24 February at 6.30pm in the Law Library Distillery Building 145-151, Church St, Dublin 7.