Andorra

General Council

Openness and transparency

Information about access to parliamentary documents, parliament’s reporting to the public, parliament’s relation to Freedom of Information laws, and lobbying.

Parliamentary documents

The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance The agendas of plenary meetings are published online in advance.
The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance The agendas of committee meetings are published online in advance.
Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site Results of votes on draft legislation are published on the parliamentary web site.
Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website Draft legislation is published on the parliamentary website.
Citizens can submit comments on draft legislation on the parliamentary web site

Annual reporting by parliament

Parliament publishes an annual report on its activities
The annual report is available on the parliamentary web site
No
Parliament publishes the parliamentary budget
The parliamentary budget is available on the parliamentary web site
Yes

Access to parliament

Plenary meetings are open to the public
Notes
Members of the public attending sessions of Parliament are required to remain silent and orderly, and are not authorized to express approval or disagreement. The Speaker can order the immediate expulsion of visitors unwilling to remain silent. In the case of disruptions, the speaker can expel the public from the chamber. Any individual causing serious disruptions in the premises of Parliament is immediately expelled. In addition, on the initiative of the Parliament’s steering committee, two parliamentary groups or a quarter of the Parliament’s membership, the Parliament can agree by an absolute majority of its members to hold a plenary meeting of the Parliament in closed session.
Notes
Committee meetings held to prepare reports for submission to the plenary are not conducted in public.
There is a dedicated channel for broadcasting parliamentary meetings A dedicated channel is one that is mainly about parliament, and is accessible free of charge to the general public. The channel might be owned by Parliament or a public or private company. Dedicated channels may be broadcast by parliament, government, or another broadcaster. They may be carried on television, radio or the Internet (webcasting).
Media used for the dedicated channel
TV
Radio
Webcast
Meetings broadcast on the dedicated channel
Plenary sittings

Freedom of information

There is a freedom of information law in the country
Yes
Parliament is subject to the freedom of information law
Parliament has an office/division dedicated to FOI requests
No
Categories of Information that are exempt from disclosure Certain categories of information may be exempt from disclosure
Freedom of information is recognized in the Andorran constitution as a fundamental human right and is directly applicable and immediately binding on public authorities. Its content cannot be limited by law and the courts protect it. Its content is only limited by the other fundamental rights and freedoms recognized in the Constitution.
The right of access to public information may be denied when disclosure of the information requested is detrimental to:
a) Defense and national security.
b) International relations and confidentiality obligations assumed by virtue of agreements with international organizations.
c) Public safety.
d) Relations with the co-princes and their services.
e) Economic, financial and monetary policy.
f) The protection of the environment.
g) The prevention, investigation and punishment of criminal, administrative or disciplinary infractions.
h) The administrative functions of surveillance, inspection, control, supervision and auditing.
i) Equality between the parties in judicial proceedings and effective judicial protection.
j) Deliberations within or by public authorities in relation to the examination of a matter, as well as the guarantee of confidentiality or secrecy required in decision-making processes.
k) Privacy and other legitimate private interests, such as the rights of minors and those of victims of gender-based violence, in accordance with the regulations on the protection of personal data.
l) The economic or commercial interests of a natural or legal person, including intellectual and industrial property and strategic business information.
m) Professional secrecy.

Lobbying

There are rules about the activities of lobbyists in parliament
There is a register of accredited lobbyists