The Right to Information is considered fundamental human rights, expressed and guaranteed by numerous international treaties. In addition to adopting all relevant international conventions, Albania is one of those countries having both constitutional and legal guarantees on the Right to Information. The sanctioning of the right to information in Article 23 of the 98’ Constitution distinguishes Albania from many countries where the right to information is provided only simple by law. In its early beginnings RTI was introduced to the inner corpus of legislation from the top-down, by the political elite, in reflection to numerous international conventions and to the new adopted constitution. The first Albanian RTI law of ‘99, failed though to produce the intended effects. A new law “On the right to Information” was enacted in 2014, this time as “bottom-up” process advocated entirely from the local civil society.
Right to Information, Albania, civil society, Constitution of Albania
1. UN Resolution 59 (I), source link: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/033/10/IMG/NR003310.pdf?OpenElement
2. UN Doc. E/CN.4/1995/32, UN Doc. E/CN.4/1995/32, page 10, paragraph 35. Sours link: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G94/750/76/PDF/G9475076.pdf?OpenElement
3. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 16 December 1966, United Nations, Treaty Series, - Vol. 999, - P. 171. Sours link: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3aa0.html
4. European Convention of Human Rights, Page 11, article 10, first paragraph. Source link: http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf
5. The Council of Europe Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Information, - 1982. Source link: http://www.right2info.org/resources/publications/instruments-and-standards/coe_decl-on-foe-and-foi_1982
6. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Page 178, United Nations, Treaty Series 1976 https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%20999/volume-999-i-14668-english.pdf
7. “Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters signed at the Conference of the Ministers of Environment”, held on June 25, - 1998 Aarhus, Denmark. Source: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/pp/documents/cep43e.pdf
8. The “European Charter on Human Rights”. Source: Official Journal of the European Union, page. C 326/404, date 26.10.2012. Linkhtteur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012P /TXT&from=EN
9. The Recommendation 2002 (2) of the Council of Europe on Access to Official Documents. Source link: http://www.right2info.org/resources/publications/instruments-and-standards/coe_rec_ati_en_2002
10. The Council of Europe Convention “On access to official documents” Tromsø, adopted in the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe, on 27. 11. 2008. Sours link: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=0900001680084826
11. Law No.7491, dated 29.04.1991, source: Official Bulletin - No, 4, - P. 145
12. Victoria Lemieux and Robert P. Beschel Disclaimer - Implementing Right to Information A Case Study of India, “Right to Information case studies on implementation”, World Bank © 2014 The World Bank, Pg. 55. Link sours: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PUBLICSECTORANDGOVERNANCE/Resources/285741-1343934891414/8787489-1344020463266/8788935 1399321576201/RTI_Case_Studies_Implementation_WEBfinal.pdf
13. Krenar Loloci, “Constitutional Debate, discussion at the parliamentary commission on the drafting of the Constitution”, - volume 1, - P. 85. OSCE publication, Tirane - 2006, Printing Hause P. S. H. - 2015 shpk, Rr “Siri Kodra”, Tiranë
14. URL: http://www.freedominfo.org/regions/global/foi-regimes
15. Memorandum on the Albanian Law On the Right to Information on Official Documents, London, September - 2004, P. 9-17. Link sours: https://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/analysis/albania-foi.pdf
16. “The narrative legislative motivation of the project law “On the right to information” Page 1. Paragraph 2. Link sours: https://www.parlament.al/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/11/relacioni_e_drejta_e_informimit_17767_1.pdf
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