Transparency Serbia public statement

Culture and information Committee adopted the report of Commissioner

Transparency Serbia considers that it is extremely important for implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information that competent Parliamentary Committee unanimously adopted the Commissioner's report about work and implementation of the Law in 2005. In previous implementation of Law particularly arguable were regulations of supervision over implementation, that are connected to authority over bringing the misdemeanor charges against liable persons in public bodies that denied the right to free access to information. Ministry of Culture, which currently does that function, unfortunately, since the adoption of the Law didn't form a special service that would do this kind of supervising, so, by the available information, they submitted zero demand for bringing the misdemeanor charges in more than 200 cases of legal offence Commissioner submitted to Ministry.

Therefore, Transparency- Serbia considers that conclusion of the Committee, by which the work of supervision should in future be entrusted to Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self- Government, can be good solution to exit present inadmissible situation. Considering that it is very small and simple change of Law, Transparency- Serbia expects that the Government of Serbia will soon draft it and that Parliament will also adopt it as soon. However, besides that, Transparency- Serbia thinks that it is very important to learn a lesson from this case that in future passing of the Law must be taken more care in restitution of the efficient supervising over implementation. In other words, it means that it is necessary to properly assess capacities of institutions that are entrusted with implementation of the Law, and to timely provide conditions and assets for their work.

Belgrade March 27, 2006

Transparency- Serbia

Press Office

Report from sitting of the Board:

http://www.parlament.sr.gov.yu/../?Id=1029&t=A

Statement of the Commissioner:

http://www.poverenik.org.yu/vesti.asp?ID=255

Transparency- Serbia gave a public statement on the occasion of conclusions of Culture and information Committee about annual report about work of Commissioner for information of Public Importance. Here you can take over the text of the statement, conclusions of the Committee, statement of the Commissioner.