250th anniversary of Swedish Freedom of Information Act celebrated in London
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On 2 December 1766, the world’s first-ever freedom of information law was signed into law in Sweden. The 250th anniversary was celebrated at an event in London, to which Uppsala alumni were among the invited.
The new law pioneered public access to state information, making what is now Sweden and Finland the first countries in the world to officially instigate a Right to Information law.
The event consisted of two moderated discussions, with participants from a broad range of institutions and organisations in the UK and Sweden. The topics discussed were “Freedom of Information Act (FOI) in the UK and Europe” and “the Freedom of Information Law – The Swedish/Finnish history”.
The panel discussion that followed was moderated by Nicola Cain, BBC’s Head of Legal – Freedom of Information & Contentious Data Protection.
The event ended with a drinks and canapés reception for all participants.
David Naylor