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The European Court of Justice has ruled that documents on international agreements should not be automatically classified as secret. (Photo: Romania Libera)

Court ruling to boost access to EU documents

EU institutions must demonstrate that the disclosure of a document effectively harms the public interest if they want to deny publication, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

The EU's top court also said on Thursday (3 July) that papers related to international agreements should not automatically be exempt from publication.

The ruling is the culmination of a five-year legal dispute between Dutch Liberal MEP Sophie In't Veld and EU governments over access to documents regardin...

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The European Court of Justice has ruled that documents on international agreements should not be automatically classified as secret. (Photo: Romania Libera)

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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