THE Government has been encouraged to use its presidency of the EU to initiate European wide freedom of information legislation.
The European Federation of Journalists, at a conference in Dublin this weekend, called on the Government to draft legislation that would guarantee the right to information from public bodies, including European institutions.
The withholding of information under such legislation could only be considered if the public interest allowed it.
The Dublin meeting, attended by delegates from 16 countries, discussed access to official information within the EU and member states.
The conference also called for immunity from prosecution and victimisation for any official who gives information to the public or the media, if it is done in the public interest.
This provision has not been included in the proposed Irish legislation, which has been approved by the Cabinet.
Under the proposed Irish Freedom of Information legislation, a public servant can only report to a number of named persons, such as the Garda or the Comptroller and Auditor General. If a public servant gives information about an alleged wrongdoing to the media, that person could be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act.
The European Federation of Journalists also called for a right of access to information to be added to the European Convention of Human Rights and also for the right of journalists to protect their sources.
The general secretary of the federation, Mr Aiden White, warned that discussions about the future of the information society and how it will be regulated were taking place with little or no public awareness. Mr White is also chairman of the European Commission Information Society Forum working group on democratic and social values.
The "information superhighway" could offer huge benefits in terms of democracy and how decisions are made. It could allow people to be more directly involved in decision making.
Journalists could have an enhanced role, deciphering the information, putting it in context and making it digestible for ordinary citizens.
The benefits of this increased information would only be evident if the process was driven by public interest values, rather than commercialism, Mr White said.