The EU/CoE action on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the media in Kosovo (JUFREX2) in cooperation with the Bar Association organised a two- day training for lawyers on access to public documents and information & freedom of expression on internet, on 18-19 May 2021.
Around 30 lawyers from different regions in Kosovo attended the training.
Key instruments of democratic states are transparency and accountability of public institutions for their actions and the right of the public to request and obtain documents of public interest is considered the main legal mechanism to guarantee such transparency. Thus, thematic areas such as Article 10 of ECtHR and the reasonable limitations, international and Council of Europe instruments guaranteeing the right to access to documents, CoE Convention on Access to Official Documents, Recommendation CM/Rec (2016) of Committee of Ministers, etc were discussed and elaborated during the first days of the training. In addition, local legal and institutional framework regarding the right to access public documents has been covered and discussed among participants. There was a consensus that such framework is solid, however there is room for improvement when it comes to the implementation of the applicable legislation.
During the second day of the training discussion took place on freedom of expression on the internet as a key to understanding the potential of information and communication technologies for increasing the level of human rights protection around the globe. Participants were introduced to responsibilities for filtering and blocking the content online, the content generated by users, the right to be forgotten, etc.
This action is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II”, implemented by the Council of Europe, which aims at assisting Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans region and Turkey to comply with the Council of Europe standards and European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process, where relevant.
Find more about JUFREX Action:
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.