WOO-SERVICEDESK
Administrative bodies are flooded with requests under the Government Information (Public Access) Act (Wet openbaarheid van bestuur, "Wob"). We, the experts on this Act at Pels Rijcken, advise daily on its application in practice. We are in court handling cases on this subject on an almost weekly basis. We know the Wob inside out. We share our knowledge through an annual chronicle in the journal Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Bestuursrecht (Dutch Journal of Administrative Law), blogs on our own website www.blogbestuursrecht.nl, annotations in the AB journal and tailor-made courses.
The Government Information (Public Access) Act is also relevant if confidentiality is imposed as referred to in the Municipalities Act (Gemeentewet) (Articles 25, 55 and 86; from 1 April article 87, 88 and 89) and the Provinces Act (Provinciewet) (Articles 25, 55 and 91; from 1 April article 84, 85 and 86). We are experts in this area as well. We regularly advise municipal executives and provincial executives on imposing confidentiality and assist them when objections are lodged to the imposed confidentiality or litigation is instituted in court. We realise that these cases often involve politically sensitive matters.
The Open Government Act (Wet open overheid ("Woo")), successor to the Wob, is expected to enter into force on 1 May 2022. You can also contact us if you have any questions about the Woo.
SERVICEDESK: +31 70 5153 477
We have a Wob and Woo Service Desk specifically for government clients. Administrators and civil servants can come to us with questions about the Wob and the Woo. Practical advice is the priority in this context. The Service Desk can be reached on telephone number +31 70 5153 477. Telephone advice from the Service Desk is completely free. You can also contact the Service Desk with questions about the application of the confidentiality provisions in the Municipalities Act and the Provinces Act.
