Federal Council approves 140 legal compensation for freedom of information!

Federal Council approves 140 legal compensation for freedom of information!

On July 17, 2025, the Federal Council approved the adjustments in 140 laws for the new Freedom of Information Act, which will come into force on September 1st. This law brings far -reaching changes in administrative transparency and access to government information. Among the innovations, the obligation to publish government funding over 1,500 euros from September falls in a transparency database. In addition, a central information center was set up in the Federal Chancellery to facilitate access to information, such as [ots] (https://www.ots.at/presseaus-sung/ots_20250717_ots0134/bundesrat-140- Law adjustments-zur-Information-Freiheit-passieren-laender Chamber)

Another important point is the adaptation of the Federal Council's rules of procedure to the new legal situation in relation to freedom of information. The Federal Council unanimously approved the amendment of the information regulation law and the parliamentary employee law. This is done as part of a collective oversy that also includes adjustments in the official liability law, epidemic law and the electricity management and organization law.

innovations in the data access law

A central part of this reform is the new data access law, which facilitates access to protected public data, even if it was adopted against the votes of the FPÖ. In the further changes, the torture was deleted from the laws, and new constitutional requirements are implemented. The penal provisions remain unchanged, but the criminal offense "violation of official secrecy" is replaced by "violation of a duty to maintain confidentiality".

The state is also given the opportunity to include tax relief in the transparency database, and the transfer of data if the abuse is suspected is allowed. The discussion about the reform shows that there are different opinions on the effects on transparency. While State Secretary Alexander Pröll sees the reform process as a step towards more transparency, representatives of the FPÖ express criticism of the regulations.

Access to information and rights of citizens

according to [bundes-regierung.de] (https://www.bundes-regierung.de/breg-de/schwerpunkt/fragen-und-wert-zum-zum- Information law-463492), natural and legal entities of private law are entitled to apply, while citizens' initiatives and associations without a legal person are not entitled to apply. Applications for information access can be made informally. Certain exceptional agreements, such as the protection of personal data or intellectual property.

Freedom of information as a concept is recognized worldwide and legally anchored. There are corresponding laws in over 110 countries that guarantee the right to access to official information. These laws promote democratic opinion formation and political participation in the digital age, emphasizes [Wikipedia] (https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/information Freedom). In 2006, a Freedom of Information Act was introduced in Germany that has corresponding provisions in almost all federal states.

The reform in Austria, which is accompanied by the abolition of the official secret, shows progress in the direction of more transparency, even if there are concerns about the complete implementation and the exceptions to information access rights. In particular, the revision and expansion of the regulations promises to better inform the public and to maintain the rights of citizens.