Belgium: Government condemned for violating the Freedom of Information legislation
A peace movement organisation cannot be denied access to information on weapon deliveries. The Brussels Court of Appeal has judged that the federal Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Economy wrongfully rejected an application to obtain a copy of official documents concerning weapon supplies.
The judgment clarifies that beside the Council of State an ordinary judge can also pronounce in case of a negative decision upon an examination or duplicate of government documents. The calling upon exception grounds must be dealt more carefully. The arrest of the Brussels Court of Appeal placed the lack of enforcement of the FOI (WOB) on the federal level in the forefront.
A peace movement organisation cannot be denied access to information on weapon deliveries,, the Brussels Court of Appeal has judged. The federal Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and
Economy wrongfully rejected an application to obtain a copy of official documents concerning weapon supplies.
© 2007 prof. dr. Dirk Voorhoof (The author is professor Media Law and Copyright at the Gent and Copenhagen University)
Brussels 2 Mai 2007, Forum voor Vredesactie VZW t. de Belgische Staat, checkhttp://vredesactie.be/download.php?file=vonnis_wob.pdf and www.psw.ugent.be/dv, nieuws. Check also D. Voorhoof, “Openbaarheid van bestuur lost verwachtingen niet in”, De Juristenkrant 2006/122, 2-3.
Check also http://docs.vlaanderen.be/buitenland/deelsites/wapenhandel/verslagen.htmlen www.vredesactie.be
Source: De Juristenkrant, 2007/150 en http://www.psw.ugent.be/dv/
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