Source: "Blic"
Implementation of Law on free Access to Information
BELGRADE - The Security Information Agency last year took important steps in acting on requests of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, respecting the procedure set under the law, performing its duties and publishing information on its operations - Rodoljub Sabic stated in the annual report on the implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information.
The report states that the SIA displayed in previous years "intolerable, ignorant attitude towards the Law on Free Access to Information, rights of citizens and the public and its own duties set under the law".
- The SIA, similarly as other public authorities, must still work on promotion of the attitude towards the public, but I must say that it improved considerably last year in that regard - Mr. Sabic said.
Mr. Jovan Stojic, Head of Office of the SIA Director, said that 22 requests were submitted to the Agency last year, of which one was rejected while others were adopted and requested information was provided.
- The SIA also acted on eight enforceable Commissioner's rulings on appeals from previous years. In three cases, the SIA submitted the requested information, while in the remaining five cases it was concluded that the requested information was not available to the Agency. In four of these cases, the SIA referred requesters of information to institutions which held the requested documents - Mr. Stojic said.
Mr. Sabic also stated in the report that according to data on refused requests or denied information, the Ministry of Internal Affairs had particular problems in the implementation of the law.
- The most striking indicator of the lack of discipline in observance of the law is failure to act on Commissioner's binding rulings, which is largely an inherited problem. In the past three years, the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not act on 14 valid and enforceable rulings - Mr. Sabic said. He said that he contacted the Minister of Internal Affairs because of these problems, noting that the Ministry of Internal Affairs could really improve relations with the public in the following year.
