Transparency Serbia : Statement on the matter of annual report on work of Commissioner for information of public importance

Information about difficulties in implementing the Law on Free Access to Information alarming

Transparency Serbia considers that the information about difficulties in implementing the Law on Free Access to Information, pointed out by the Commissioner for information of public importance in his annual report, are alarming, and therefore demands quick reaction of Parliament and Government of Serbia.

This report shows that there are a lot of public authorities which, even after more than 15 months after the adoption of the Law, aren't aware of their legal responsibilities or they are ignoring it, particularly among public enterprises, which coincide with the information from the surveys of Transparency Serbia.

Especially worrying is the fact that 15 institutions didn't obeyed the decision of Commissioner and allowed access to information in specified cases, without any legal basis for such acting, so as the fact that legal mechanism of supervising and bringing the charges for misdemeanours doesn't function.

Having in mind significance of information in Commissioner's report, Transparency Serbia expects that Commissioner's report will soon be discussed and that after that Parliament and Government should undertake decisive measures for activating the mechanisms for bringing the misdemeanour charges and carry out the decisions of Commissioner. The most significant measurements are: establishing the catalogue of organisations that perform public authority, harmonizing all new regulations with Law on free access to information principals, intensifying the training of employees about implementation of Law, and providing additional space for work of Commissioner's Service.

In that way, Parliament and Government, besides from realising the right to access to information, would fulfil a part of their obligations taken over with adoption of National anti - corruption strategy and eliminate some of the shortages noticed in Feasibility Study for EU association process.