Freedom of Information Speaker Program - Bulgaria
November 2016
Supported by the US Embassy in Bulgaria

The project goal was to increase knowledge and expertise on good FOIA implementation practices and effective models by sharing experience of USA and holding a one-day conference with high level government officials in Bulgaria.

The AIP organized a number of meetings for sharing experience with the US attorney Kevin M. Godlberg under the FOI Speaker Program supported by the US Embassy in Bulgaria within the period 14 – 18 November 2016.

Activities and results:

One-day FOI conference with high government officials

On November 15, 2016 within a Freedom of Information Speaker Program supported by the US Embassy in Bulgaria, the AIP held a one-day conference with high government officials.

37 participants from 21 central government bodies took part in the conference Access to Information – Challenges after the Legislative Amendments. The Experience of the USA and Bulgaria.

The event was held in Grand Hotel Sofia, and lecturers were attorney Kevin M. Goldberg, an US FOI and freedom of expression expert, the AIP executive Director Gergana Jouleva, and the AIP head of legal team attorney Alexander Kashumov.

The event is featured in the November 2016 AIP monthly FOI newsletter: FOI Speaker Program (in Bulgarian).

Pictures from the event are available here: http://www.aip-bg.org/about/gallery/100977/.

Lecture before Students from the New Bulgarian University

On 18 November 2016, attorney Kevin M. Goldberg delivered a lecture on History and Overview of U.S. FOIA Law before undergraduate and graduate students in Journalism and PR, and International Communications at the New Bulgarian University. The lecture was incorporated in the course that the AIP holds in partnership with the New Bulgarian University within the Students Innovations Program operated by the Open Society Institute – Sofia.

Exchange of Experience Meetings

Within the period of his visit, attorney Kevin M. Goldberg was briefed by the AIP team on the access to information legislation, the implementation practices, and case law; had a visit to the Supreme Administrative Court and the Administrative Court Sofia; had a meeting with members of the Journalism Ethics Commission, and a meeting with Ms. Milena Nedeva an advisor in the cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister Rumiana Bachvarova, with regard to the Open Government Partnership initiative and Bulgaria’s involvement. He also had interviews and consultations with journalists from national media.

Media Coverage

Within the FOI Speaker Program, attorney Kevin. M. Goldberg gave several interviews for national media:

I don’t believe in the Wikileaks model – taken by Tsvetelina Yordanova, published in Mediapool.bg on November 23, 2016.

Access to information is not difficult, everyone could file a request – taken by Miroslav Ivanov, published in Akademika.bg on November 25, 2016.

We’ve chosen cases that would not only get us the information, but would result in court decisions that would change the law for the next requestor – taken by Diana Bancheva, published in the AIP FOI Newsletter and disseminated to 2,400 subscribers on December 5, 2016.

The FOI Speaker Progam was featured in the same issue of the newsletter.