The right of citizens to access public information

Towards the beginning of this year, I wrote about the urgent need for Malta to introduce a freedom of information law that is in place across the European Union with the exception of Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg. The outgoing Ombudsman has thankfully made a plea to the Maltese authorities to urgently introduce an Information Act. From today's Malta Independen on Sunday:

The call for the government to introduce such legislation is one of the proposals made by Mr Sammut in his annual report, which is his last, as his term of office will end this month. Maltese democracy is at a stage that warrants the introduction of an Information Act and an Information Commissioner who will defend the rights of citizens to access information which is of public interest, he insisted.

Information related to the public service and government business is often shrouded in secrecy, said Mr Sammut. Cyprus is actually in the process of implementing an Act, thereby leaving only Malta and Luxembourg without such a set-up. At the moment, information regarding matters that interest the public is given as a concession on the part of the government, and not as a right. There is some information which any government is entitled to retain as confidential. However, it is only in special cases that information should be kept from the public, he added.