Access to information held by public institutions was one of the main topics highlighted at the Conference of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Prevention of Corruption under the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held in Vienna, Austria, from 20 to 22 May 2026. The panel entitled "Access to Information: Good Practices and Challenges" featured speakers from four countries - Bulgaria, Nigeria, the Philippines, and South Africa. Bulgaria's experience in the field of access to public information was presented by Alexander Kashumov, Executive Director of the Access to Information Programme (AIP).

Representatives of the 192 States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption listened with great interest to the developments concerning access to information in Bulgaria over the past 26 years. Since the adoption of the Access to Public Information Act (APIA) in 2000, when only 25 countries had comparable legislation, the number of access to information laws worldwide has increased severalfold, reaching 142 by 2026. This means that 50 States Parties to the Convention still do not have such legislation and should make efforts to address this legislative gap.

According to the official Report on the State of the Administration, more than 18,000 requests for access to information were submitted in Bulgaria during 2025, representing an increase of approximately 30% compared with 2024. This growth demonstrates the confidence that Bulgarian citizens, journalists, civil society organisations, and businesses place in the law, particularly given that the number of court appeals against refusals and decisions under the APIA remained almost unchanged in 2024 and 2025 - 356 and 346 respectively.

Access to administrative courts in such cases continues to be simple and affordable, with a court fee of €5.11 and final judgments delivered within an average of two to six months. The presentation also highlighted several landmark cases brought by recipients of the Access to Information Programme's annual awards in recent years, including Judge Vladislava Tsarigradska, Desislava Nikolova of the "Capital" newspaper, and the active citizen Nedelchev.

The important role of the Access to Information Programme in promoting the active use and effective implementation of the Access to Public Information Act was also underlined. During the lively discussion that followed, a question was raised regarding the balance between access to information and the protection of national security. In response, Mr Kashumov referred to a decision of the Supreme Administrative Court in the well-known "Petrolgate" case, in which companies from around the world were implicated in circumventing the embargo imposed on Iraq through abuses of the "Oil-for-Food Programme."

Although more than two decades have passed since the events in question, the Court's strict interpretation of what may legitimately be classified as a state secret remains highly relevant. The Court held that reports prepared by the security services concerning the involvement of Bulgarian companies in the affair did not fall within the categories of information that could be classified as a state secret. Bulgaria's experience and the recommendations presented during the panel were received with considerable interest by the international audience.