Staff of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting face daily challenges related to handling requests for public information, providing clear and comprehensible responses to citizens, and ensuring the transparency of the media regulator’s activities in line with international standards.

To strengthen capacities in these areas, Council of Europe consultant Tetiana Oleksiyuk, with the support of the Council of Europe’s media project, delivered three online training sessions for the regulator’s staff.

More than 100 participants took part in the training. The sessions covered procedures related to requests for public information, ways to improve communication with citizens, and approaches to ensuring the openness of the regulator’s work in accordance with Council of Europe standards, in particular the principles of the Tromsø Convention.

During the training, participants explored how to organise work with information requests and citizens’ appeals, what information should be published and when, and how to apply legislation on access to public information in their daily work. Particular attention was paid to practical issues, including drafting responses, addressing common challenges faced by public authorities holding information, and preventing abuse of the right of access.

Participants also discussed the circumstances under which access to information may be restricted, how to apply the “three-part test”, and how to handle confidential information. A significant part of the training was devoted to practical case studies and answering participants’ questions, including those raised during the sessions.

“Training in the field of access to public information is intended to help staff of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting ensure transparency and accountability in the work of the media regulator. Media professionals, journalists and active citizens all seek information and submit requests, so it is important to have comprehensive knowledge – of international standards, national regulation, and best practices for organising processes related to the collection and publication of public information. Processing requests, providing complete responses, and, where necessary, restricting access to certain categories of information require a high level of expertise and a strong sense of responsibility. I hope these training sessions have provided participants with both an overall understanding of the legal framework and answers to their day-to-day questions,” said Tetiana Oleksiyuk.

The Council of Europe Project “Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Media in Ukraine –  Phase II” (SFEM-UA - Phase II) is implemented by the Council of Europe Division for Co-operation on Freedom of Expression in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026.