International Symposium – “Access to Environmental Information – Freedom of Information in Favour of Environmental Protection?”

The Symposium will be hosted by the Bradenburg State Commissioner for Data Protection and Access Information. Public bodies are obliged to release information useful for engagement to the environment under the Environmental Information Act in order to support the citizens' commitment to environmental protection. In practice, the act's implementation gives rise to several questions: What exactly does "information about the environment" mean? To what extent are private bodies subject to the act? How far does the Environmental Information Act overlap with the general Freedom of Information legislation?

The International Symposium analyzes the basis of the Environmental Information Act in European law and focuses on the practice in separate states. The use of the right to environmental information by Non-Governmental Organizations, the significance of judicial decisions as well as different legal and institutional models will be portrayed. The conference also will deal with the obligatory publication of environmental information and its realization by means of environmental information systems. Experts from Brandenburg, the federal level, the European Union and its member states will give insights into current projects and discuss the role of transparency in the field of environmental protection.

The programme of the conference can be downloaded from here. There is no registration fee. Early registration though is recommended as seating is limited; further information on the registration procedure can be found at the event's website.

Event email: Poststelle@LDA.brandenburg.de