15 Jun 2017

Cyprus government flawed interpretation of European transparency standards

2018-11-13T10:03:19+01:00

[UPDATE: Madrid, 11 December 2017 - On 25 April, the Cyptriot Government answered the letter sent by Access Info raising questions regarding to Cyprus Access to Information Law. You can find a copy of the letters here : ] Madrid, 15 June 2017 - Access Info Europe and six Cypriot civil society organisations [1] have raised concerns with the Cyprus government that the future draft access to information law would violate European standards if adopted in its current form. In particular, they warned the exceptions to transparency are seriously out of line with the Council of Europe Convention on Access

Cyprus government flawed interpretation of European transparency standards2018-11-13T10:03:19+01:00
31 Mar 2017

Civil society warn Cyprus’ draft transparency law under threat if excessive exceptions persist

2018-11-13T10:03:21+01:00

» This article is also available in Greek, here. Madrid, 31 March 2017 – Access Info Europe and 30 international and Cypriot civil society organisations have today urged the government of Cyprus to guarantee that exceptions to access in its draft transparency law meet international standards. The letter urges the Cypriot Justice Minister in charge of the law, Ionas Nicolaou, to reverse the unacceptable inclusion of five absolute exceptions [1] as well as ensure that information may only be refused if its disclosure would or would be likely to harm a protected interest, unless there is an overriding public interest

Civil society warn Cyprus’ draft transparency law under threat if excessive exceptions persist2018-11-13T10:03:21+01:00
17 Feb 2017

Cypriot lawmakers challenged to ensure FOI is free and exceptions are limited

2018-11-13T10:03:42+01:00

[UPDATE: Madrid, 1 March 2017 - On 28 February, Access Info Europe sent its comments to the text of the draft FOI law, to be debated at the Cypriot Parliament Legal Committee: ] Nicosia/Madrid, 17 February 2017 – Access Info Europe this week addressed an in-person hearing in the Cypriot Parliament and called for the draft FOI law to be amended to remove fees for making requests and to reduce time limits for responses, in particular cutting down the possible 60 days extension for complex requests. Speaking to the Cypriot Parliament’s Legal Committee on Thursday 16 February 2017, Andreas Pavlou,

Cypriot lawmakers challenged to ensure FOI is free and exceptions are limited2018-11-13T10:03:42+01:00
21 Oct 2015

Access Info welcomes Cyprus’ commitment to strong FOI law

2018-11-13T10:04:38+01:00

Madrid, 21 October 2015 - Access Info Europe has welcomed Cypriot Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou’s commitment to adopt a strong access to information (Freedom of Information) law that will be “one of the best in the European Union”. The pro-transparency organisation, headquartered in Madrid, urges the Cypriot government to act on this promise, noting that in order to bring the law into line with European and international standards, the government should recognise the fundamental nature of the right, including all public bodies in the law, reducing the number of exceptions, and removing other obstacles such as the requirement to provide

Access Info welcomes Cyprus’ commitment to strong FOI law2018-11-13T10:04:38+01:00
30 Jul 2015

Cyprus: Draft FOI law seriously below European standards

2018-11-13T10:04:48+01:00

Madrid, 30 July 2015 – Access Info Europe has urged the government of Cyprus to greatly improve its draft access to information law in order to meet basic international transparency standards. An analysis of the draft text using the Right to Information Rating indicators found that Cyprus would come in at position 97 of 102 countries globally, scoring a dismal 57 of 150 points. It would not be able to sign and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents. In a submission sent to the Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, the pro-transparency organisation recommended significant amendments to

Cyprus: Draft FOI law seriously below European standards2018-11-13T10:04:48+01:00