Refusal Grounds for Woo Requests in Utrecht

Not all government information is accessible. The Government Information (Public Access) Act (Woo) contains various grounds on which disclosure may be refused.

Absolute refusal grounds

The government is obliged to refuse disclosure in the case of absolute refusal grounds:

• Security of the Netherlands
• Confidential business information shared with the government
• Sensitive personal data (such as medical data or religious beliefs)

Relative refusal grounds

In the case of relative grounds, the government balances the interest of openness against other priorities:

Refusal reason	Example situation
Financial or economic interests	Sensitive information about competition
Investigation of criminal offences	Active police investigations
Supervision and inspections	Strategies for control
Protection of privacy	Personal data of employees
Internal policy opinions	Advice within the organisation

Partial disclosure

In many cases, part of the information is released, with specific parts redacted, such as:

• Personal names and contact information
• Confidential business details
• Internal opinions on policy

Filing an objection to refusal

If a request is (partly) refused, you can file an objection:

• Within 6 weeks after the decision
• Argue that the refusal ground is not relevant
• Emphasise that openness is more important

Practical information for Utrecht

For legal support in Utrecht, you can go to:

• District Court Midden-Nederland: Vrouwe Justitiaplein 1, Utrecht
• Juridisch Loket Utrecht: Catharijnesingel 55, Utrecht

Frequently asked questions about Woo requests