Implementation of Free Access to Information Law Lacking
In spite of the fact that over a year has passed since the entry into force of the Law on Free Access to Information in Serbia, its implementation has been weak and the citizens are largely uninformed about the rights they have under this Law.
The project aimed to make the process of providing information in Serbia more transparent through education and animation of citizens, the civil sector and the media, on one hand, and training of the local authorities and administration in implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information, on the other. During the project, the information-seekers were presented with the mechanisms for realization of this right, and those that need to provide the information were educated about the necessity to provide the sought information. Presenting the project, the National Commission for Information of Public Interest, Rodoljub Sabic, said that the state bodies and institutios have to do a lot more to secure the full implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information. The government would have to answer all requests by the citizens, media and NGOs and make the information publicly accessible and its work more transparent. "Regarding provision of information, the governance institutions, from highest levels of power all the way to local self-government, failed to answer many requests, invested little in terms of education and raising public awareness on this matter”, said Sabic. During the monitoring of the implementation of the Law, all Government Ministries, with the exception of Ministry of Capital Investments, responded to requests for information. Also, Sabic added that of the six highest offices in Serbia, only the Government didn’t provide the sought information, while the Parliament, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the President of Serbia, the Supreme and Constitutional Court all responded within the legal dealine. The results of the polls conducted during the project show that only 20 percent of the polled citizens were well informed about the possibilities offered by this Law, 20 percent haven’t heard that such a Law exists, while 60 percent have absolutely no knowledge on this matter whatsoever. The project, in spite of the fact that it was implemented in only five of the total of 173 municipalities in Serbia, made important contribution to the implementation of the Law, having in mind that, after the education provided under the project, 80 percent of the citizens recognized the rights secured by the Law as very important and view the Law as an instrument of control over the work of public bodies and administration. The implementation of the Project was supported by the Freedom House. |
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