#2 - JRL 7063
Kasyanov signs ruling on public access to govt information

MOSCOW, Feb 14 /Prime-TASS/ -- Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov signed a ruling on public access to information about the work of the government and federal executive bodies on February 12, the government's press service said Friday.

The ruling will come into effect three months after its official publication.

According to the ruling, ministries should be obliged to post information about their activities on their official Web sites.

The project will be financed from the section of the federal budget allocated for the upkeep of executive bodies.

The IT and Communications, Press, Economic Development and Trade Ministries should submit a report on the project's development to the government by November 1, 2003.

The government has also recommended the regional authorities to initiate similar projects.

Among the types of information to be disclosed to the public are the following:

-- pieces of legislation and their amendments;

-- courts' decisions regarding the abolition of certain pieces of legislation and their amendments;

-- texts of official speeches;

-- texts of international agreements;

-- public addresses to the government;

-- personal information about government members;

The full list of the types of information to be made available to the public can be found in Russian on the government's official web-site http://pravitelstvo.gov.ru/