Transparency of the decision-making process and dialogue with the civil society are some of the basic principles of the EU as stipulated by the Lisbon Treaty (Title II) and by the Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Art. 15). The European legislation regulates the access to documents of the European institutions, management of documents and information, restrictions on the right to information. You may find the relevant documents under the European Union Documents section.
In 2008, the Council of Europe adopted the Convention on Access to Official Documents. This is the first legally binding document of the Council of Europe guaranteeing the access to information. The text of the Convention, as well as the Explanatory Memorandum can be found under the section Council of Europe Documents.The recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the member states ensuring transparency of the public administration and availability of information of public interest may also be found there.