At the 8th Symposium on Freedom of Information, Prof. Niko Härting presented the German Bar Association’s proposals for reforming the Freedom of Information Act. The key points of his keynote speech have now been published in the conference proceedings.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act (IFG), experts from the worlds of politics, the judiciary, academia, public administration and civil society gathered in Berlin on 2 and 3 June 2026 to discuss the future of the Freedom of Information Act.
In his keynote address, Prof. Niko Härting highlighted the obstacles to enforcing rights of access to information. The DAV’s reform proposals concern, amongst other things, the handling of copyright-protected information, the streamlining of third-party participation procedures and a stronger role for the BfDI.
The key points of the keynote speech were published in the proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Freedom of Information. The article ‘DAV’s Proactive Statement on a Reform of the Freedom of Information Act’ can be found on pages 15 and 16 and provides a concise overview of the practical challenges as well as the specific reform proposals.
Further information
Anyone wishing to examine the proposed changes and their background in greater depth will find further information in the DAV’s full position paper and in the conference proceedings:
→ DAV’s initiative statement on IFG reform
→ Proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Freedom of Information 2026