The Commissioner for the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data’s Office has approved two model Transparency Programmes for public authorities and local self-government units, in fulfilment of the legal obligations arising from Law No. 119/2014 “On the Right to Information”, as amended.

The model Transparency Programmes constitute essential instruments of proactive transparency, ensuring public access to information and documentation of a public nature, reducing the need for individual requests for information and enhancing the level of institutional accountability of public authorities.

An assessment of the existing regulatory framework has shown that the previous models have been functional and successful in organizing information into sections and sub-sections. However, subsequent legal and institutional developments, including the adoption of Council of Europe Convention No. 205, legislative amendments in the field of the right to information, the consolidation of law-enforcement practices relating to access to information, and the acceleration of the European integration process have created the need for further adaptation and consolidation of these models.

The model Transparency Programmes for local self-government units provide for the inclusion of a new section specifically dedicated to the activities of Municipal Councils, as one of the most important bodies of local self-government units and for the implementation of this model also by the Regional Councils, with the aim of strengthening the transparency of decision-making processes at a local level. The adoption of these model Transparency Programmes consolidates the positive experience gained from the implementation of proactive transparency to date, enhances the usability of public information, and transforms transparency into a more effective instrument in the service of citizens, the media, and public institutions.