The Commissioner for public information and personal data protection, Coalition for free information access, NUNS, OSCE, UNDP, with participation of a large number of media representatives, NGOs, organs of authority, as well as members of diplomatic core organized a meeting marking the International Right to Know Day today in Belgrade, September 28th. Assembly was addressed by the Head of the OSCE Mission in Belgrade, ambassador Dimitros Kipreos, Protector of Citizens Sasa Jankovic, Minister of Federal and Local Authority Milan Markovic and the Trustee Rodoljub Sabic.
Marking the International Right to Know Day, the Trustee Rodoljub Sabic said:
” This year, as well as the last four years that we were commemorating this day in Serbia, I will remind of the fact that there are significant results in application of the Law on free information access, but there are also many, usually unneccessary problems, so therefore the overall situation doesn’t allow us to be satisfied. However, on this very day, marked similarly in more than hundred states, it makes sense to acknowledge efforts and results of those organs of authority which highly advance their public relations.
In general, considering overall structure of authority, situation in the sector of free information access must be prone to even faster rate of transformation. Efforts invested in achieving this certainly do not reach necessary and attainable levels. Hence we fail to accomplish more effective results in further democratization, rationalisation of the authority apparatus, establishing better relationships in the sector of media, especially in struggle against idleness, malversation, criminal and corruption. This is why we should give credit to certain organs of authority which do not percieve free access to information as a liability, but as part of a normal relationship between authorities and the public.”
The Trustee has given president of Paracin municipality, Mr Sasa Paunovic a reward for special contribution in establishing free information access, while he rewarded representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Assembly of AP Vojvodina, Bureau of Intelectual Property and the Primary Court in Pozarevac for giving contribution to achieving free information access.
Rewarded had been chosen by a jury, composed of representatives of several NGOs and journalists’ association among 18 organs of authority that had previously been narrowly selected – National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Ministry of Federal and Local Authority, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology Development, Bureau of Intelectual Property, Federal office for protection of cultural monuments, Assembly of AP Vojvodina, Provincial Secretariat for Regulations, Government and National Communities, Provincial Secretariat for Social politics and Demography, City of Valjevo, City of Zrenjanin, Municipality of Paracin, Municipality of Novi Beograd, Municipality of Senta, Court of Appeal in Novi Sad, Court of Appeal in Belgrade, Supreme Court in Kraljevo and the Primary Court in Pozarevac.
At the conference it was also presented a Manual for compiling and publishing the informer on work of the federal organ, established by the Trustee and published in “Official Gazzette of the Republic of Serbia” no. 68/2010, as well as a guide book for application of the Law on free public information access. Conference attendees were handed out printed material and CDs containing texts of the documents.
