Commissioner for Information of Public Importance has today in Medveđa participated in the work of the Panel on Free Access to Information, organized by the Regional Information Agency JUGpres and Center for Democracy and Development of the South of Serbia.

The Commissioner, Rodoljub Šabić, spoke to the representatives of the local government of Pčinja County municipalities and to the representatives of the media about results and problems in application of the Law on Free Access to Information.  Speaking about importance of this Law, the Commissioner, Rodoljub Šabić, has especially stressed:

„For all, and especially for underdeveloped municipalities in Serbia, it is very important to secure economic growth, development and employment. However, it is equally important to simultaneously secure implementation of the higher level of human rights, including, by all means, the right to freely access information.

Work transparency and openness of governmental operations, especially availability of information about using material resources and budget funds is the best way to secure preconditions for democratic control of power, renewal of authority of the bodies in power and efficient anti-corruption campaign.

For municipalities in the South of Serbia that have, together with the other problems, faced the  problem of seriously shaken inter-ethnical relations, free access to information on governmental operations could have additional, special importance.  Creation of the  conditions  for implementation of this right is the right way to show that the government is operating according to the interest of all its citizens, regardless of the national origin, and therefore also on establishing necessary mutual trust“.