The principle of public access to official documents

In order to guarantee an open society with access to information about the work of the Riksdag, Government and government agencies, the principle of public access to official documents has been incorporated into one of the fundamental laws, the Freedom of the Press Act. This openness gives the Swedish people the right to study public documents, a right which may be exercised when they so wish.

"To encourage the free exchange of opinion and availability of comprehensive information, every Swedish citizen shall be entitled to have free access to official documents."
(Chapter 2, Article 1, Freedom of the Press Act)

Why public access to official documents?

It is good for democracy to be scrutinised. The activities of the authorities concern us all. Like all other authorities, the Government Offices must supply the information requested. The media and others who are interested must be able to access information on different matters, irrespective of what the authority chooses to spread information about.

All documents received or dispatched letters, decisions and reports are in principle public documents and must be made available for anyone to read. Under the basic rule, a letter from a head of state to Swedens Prime Minister is a public document and hence also accessible to the general public. In accordance with the same principle, court sessions are public as are the meetings of decision-making assemblies.

Documents sent to an authority are registered. If you want to know which documents have been received by an authority or how a matter is being processed and by whom, you contact the authority. The Government Offices' public documents are available through its Records Centre.

The principle of public access to official documents also means that government officials and other central and local government employees are free to divulge information, that is to say they are entitled to say what they know concerning a matter to the media and other outsiders.

Which documents are not accessible to the general public?

There are certain exemptions from the principle of public access, but they are precisely exemptions. Access to public documents may be restricted if they protect the following interests:

• The security of the realm or its relations with another state or international organisation
• The central fiscal, monetary or currency policy of the Realm
• The inspection, control or other supervisory activities of a public authority
• The interest of preventing or prosecuting crime
• The economic interests of the public institutions
• The protection of the personal or economic circumstances of private subjects
• The preservation of animal or plant species

If information classified as secret is to be given or referred to in a court session, the court may generally hold the session behind closed doors. Furthermore, questioning of persons under the age of fifteen or of persons who suffer from a mental disorder may be held behind closed doors.