EUROsociAL+ and the RTA join forces to promote strategic projects on transparency and access to public information

EUROsociAL+, the European Union programme for social cohesion, is working on energising different regional networks by supporting their work programmes, promoting information exchange, good practices and project management.

The work with the Transparency and Access to Public Information Network (RTA) in the EUROsociAL’s second phase (see video) is a clear example of the potential of these types of partnerships and how they are translated into changes in national public policies. The RTA (rta.org) is a formal space for dialogue and cooperation intended to promote the exchange of knowledge and experience in the area of transparency and access to public information among its members, mainly the agencies that guarantee access to information in each country.

With the aim of providing continuity to the partnership with the RTA and identifying joint collaboration initiatives, EUROsociAL+ supported the 13th meeting of the RTA held in Buenos Aires from 9th to 11th May.

The activity was organised by FIIAPP in conjunction with Ministry of the Interior of Argentina, the Council for Transparency of Chile, and the Access to Information Unit of the Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Uruguay.

With the aim of generating international input for implementation of the recently approved Access to Public Information Act of Argentina, on 9th Maya seminar was held entitled “Viewpoints and input for the full exercise of the right of access to public information. An international perspective”.  It was attended by the minister of the Interior, Public Works and Housing, Rogelio Frigerio; the minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Sergio Bergman; the chargé d’affairs of the European Union delegation in Argentina, François Roudié; and the president of the Council for Transparency of Chile, José Luis Santa María.

On the 10th a workshop was held to discuss possible collaboration projects between the RTA and EUROsociAL+: Transparency and gender policies, optimisation of document and archives management, measurement of the right of access to information, and transparency in the financing of political parties. More than 50 experts from the agencies that guarantee and promote the right of access to public information from 14 countries participated, in addition to different civil society institutions and organisations.

The meeting concluded on the 11th with various agreements and the next steps to be taken regarding collaboration with EUROsociAL+ and in the preparation of the 14th meeting of the RTA, which will be held in November in San Salvador. The first meeting of 2018, which will be held in Madrid, was also approved.

From Spain, the participants included the Transparency and Good Governance Council, which shared its Methodology for Evaluation and Monitoring of the Transparency of Public Activity (MESTA, Metodología de Evaluación y Seguimiento de la Transparencia de la actividad pública, in Spanish); and the Subdirectorate of State Archives of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, which analysed the achievements and challenges of the RTA’s Document and Archives Management Model

http://mgd.redrta.org/mgd/site/edic/base/port/inicio.html).