| Abstrakt: |
The first conference on Freedom of Information (FOI) in Hungary, 'FOI: Towards Open Government in the New Democracies,' was held in Budapest on May 5-7, 1992. Co-sponsored by the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice, under auspices of the Council of Europe, there were approximately 120 people in attendance, the majority of who came from government ministries in Hungary. Freedom of information is a new idea in Hungary, and, as stated by an opposition member of Parliament during the conference, few Hungarians are experts on the subject. Yet, in the past two years, Parliament has passed more than 200 bills in an urgent attempt to change the legal system. Thus, freedom of information legislation, although not as detailed as that in many Western countries, represents a major step toward open government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
