site.btaAccess to Information Programme Urges Bulgaria to Join CoE Convention on Access to Official Documents to Broaden Transparency

Bulgaria should become a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, also known as the Tromso Convention, in order to broaden transparency, Access to Information Programme (AIP) Executive Director Alexander Kashumov said on Friday while presenting the organization's annual report at the BTA National Press Club. 

Kashumov said the convention provides broader guarantees for access to information than Bulgaria's Access to Public Information Act because it also covers preparatory documents, which are subject to restrictions under the national legislation. The report also recommends that information related to draft legislation, national strategic and programme documents be publicly accessible, allowing interested parties to participate in consultations.

Lawyer Kiril Terziyski of AIP's Legal Department said the programme provided legal consultations in 139 cases involving denied access to public information in 2025. Of those, 126 concerned institutions' failure to comply with obligations under the Access to Public Information Act, while 13 involved the broader right to seek and receive information.

Citizens and non-governmental organizations sought assistance most frequently, followed by journalists. Most cases concerned local authorities, followed by central executive bodies and territorial administrations. The most common grounds for refusing access were that the requested information was not public or was unavailable.

Another concern highlighted in the report is a 2025 legislative amendment restricting access to the public register of notarial act and other real estate transaction documents to lawyers and certain other privileged professions.

Kashumov called for additional training of public administration officials on the proper application of the Access to Public Information Act, including the public interest test (PIT), the broad interpretation of public information and the handling of electronic requests.

The report further recommends that the Judges' College of the Supreme Judicial Council and the presidents of the Supreme Court of Cassation, the appellate, district and regional courts publish online the transcripts of open criminal, civil and commercial hearings, as well as all court judgments and rulings delivered in open court.

The report is the 26th annual review published by this non-governmental organization since the adoption of the Access to Public Information Act in 2000. According to the annual report on the state of the administration, 18,753 requests for access to public information were submitted in 2025.