The Dutch Open Government Act: Bridging old and new open government?

Abstract

Across the globe, ‘old’ open government is gradually transforming into ‘new’ open government. While freedom of information (FOI) legislation is usually associated with old open government, this legislation itself is also on the move. This country report discusses to what extent the Dutch Open Government Act, that has been enacted very recently, reflects this shift from old to new open government. While certainly incorporating features of modern open government, such as the emphasis on machine-readable formats of government documents, traditional elements of FOI legislation, such as the right to request for information without stating an interest, are preserved to ensure adequate access to government information.