An independent think tank at the Riigikogu Study: Access to public information is uneven
On Tuesday, 18 October, the Foresight Centre will publish the study “Trends in Access to Public Sector Information”, which gives an overview of the legal environment in Estonia in terms of using public information. The study shows that access to public information is uneven across agencies.
“Although there are also examples to the contrary, restrictions on the availability of public information have tended to increase over the last 20 years,” expert of the Foresight Centre Johanna Vallistu said. “The practice of restricting the access to information is uneven across the agencies of the state, and therefore there are cases of classification just in case.”
According to Vallistu, the study also highlights that, over the last two decades, there has been an increase in the amount of information containing personal data that can be subjected to access restrictions for, e.g., 75 or 110 years.
The study “Trends in Access to Public Sector Information” will be presented by expert of the Foresight Centre Johanna Vallistu and Attorney-at-Law at TRINITI Law Firm Maarja Pild, and commented by the Minister of Justice Lea Danilson-Järg and jurist Kärt Pormeister.
The presentation of the report “Trends in Access to Public Sector Information” to the press will take place on 18 October at 11 a.m. in the Hall of the Foresight Centre (Toompea 1, Tallinn). The presentation will also be streamed live on the website and Facebook page of the Centre. If you wish to attend the press presentation, please register at kristo.mae@riigikogu.ee by 3 p.m. on 17 October at the latest.
In 2022, one of the lines of study of the Foresight Centre is focusing on the future of data freedom, examining the key development trends and options in the further development of Estonia’s data economy and data-driven governance until 2035. One component of data freedom monitoring is also the study of the opportunities to use public information, which explores the legal and practical usability of public information in Estonia.
The Foresight Centre is an independent think tank at the Chancellery of the Riigikogu that analyses long-term developments in society and economy. The Centre conducts research projects to analyse the long-term developments in the Estonian society, and to identify new trends and development directions.
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