Freedom of Information and Open Government in Denmark: Progress or deterioration ?

Résumé

[extract] The purpose of this article is to show how freedom of information and open government have come under pressure in Denmark. Denmark has traditionally been known as a very open society. However, recent developments have challenged Denmark’s commitment to giving the public access to information, as well as its commitment to open government. The questions have arisen because of changed security situation following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, increased EU cooperation since the EU system has traditionally provided less public access to information than the Danish system, and recent amendments to the Danish Public Records Act that limit public access to internal documents that detail or describe political decision-making. Obviously, some of the mentioned challenges are general concerns in many Western democracies.