Strasbourg, 11.03.2025 – The Council of Europe’s Access Info Group (AIG), an independent group of experts created to monitor the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents by its parties, published today its first baseline evaluation report on Armenia.

The report contains a comprehensive analysis of compatibility of the Armenian Law on Freedom of Information enacted in September 2003 with the Tromsø Convention.

The AIG considers that while the law covers a broad range of public authorities, it should make clear that all entities exercising administrative authority and all information that is held by public authorities fall within its scope of application.

The AIG also concludes that other improvements of the law are needed to ensure compliance with the treaty, notably by guaranteeing the right of access to official documents without any discrimination, ensuring the balancing of interests in confidentiality with the public interest in accessing official documents, and ensuring an expeditious review procedure in case of denials of access.

Armenia ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents on 24 June 2020. The treaty entered into force in the country on 1 September 2022.

***

The Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (also known as the Tromsø Convention) is the first-ever binding international legal instrument to recognize everyone’s right to access official documents held by public authorities upon request.