"In the year when we mark two decades since the implementation of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, an effective tool for government control, we are talking about unscrupulous lawyers and individual citizens who twist the meaning of the law to the detriment of the weakest and most under-equipped authorities. I mean over 1,000 schools, 4,000 local communities, hospitals, cultural institutions, kindergartens, and those who have to use their already limited resources to respond to their senseless demands. In this way, these individuals damage not only the poor budgets of these authorities but also the budget of the Republic of Serbia. So far, over 62,500,000 dinars have been ordered to be paid to the lawyers. In reality, the damage is incomparably greater because it also requires the engagement of additional human and material resources, toners, papers, costs of postal services, and overtime work of employees. By 2019, the total percentage of complaints filed via lawyers was an average of 4%, while in 2023, the share of lawyer-filed complaints was 82%. Thus, the Commissioner previously received an average of 3,627 complaints per year; in 2023 16,711 were reported. On the other hand, all those who use the law for its intended purpose cannot exercise that right because the authorities are burdened with an enormous amount of these requests," said Commissioner Milan Marinović on the occasion of the International Right to Know Day, which took place today at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He further pointed out that the symbol of this year's meeting is a clock that strikes 5 to 12 (Serbian idiom for the in the nick of time), which means that the last hour has struck to act on preventing a disaster from occurring.

At the end of the presentation, Commissioner Marinović said that he hopes that next year, at Right to Know Day, we could discuss the real exercise of rights without further abuses. With the announced amendments to the law, we aspire to restore the true meaning of this right.

Representatives of foreign delegations also spoke in the opening remarks H.E. Jan Braathu, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Mr. Janoš Babić, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Mrs. Plamena Halačeva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, and Mrs. Naida Zečević Bin, Director of the Office for Democratic and Economic Growth in USAID Serbia, supporting the Commissioner's institution in its efforts to preserve and improve this right.

This year, the Commissioner awarded the following bodies recognition for their contribution to the promotion of the public's right to know: in the category of republic authorities, it was awarded to the Republic of Serbia Public Policy Secretariat; in the category of provincial authorities, it was assigned to the Property Administration of AP Vojvodina; in the category of local public authorities, to the municipality of Kanjiža; in the category of judicial authorities, to the Higher Court in Pirot; in the category of other authorities, the certificate was awarded to Elementary School "Kralj Petar I" from Niš. The main award, for a special contribution to the promotion of the right to access information (statue), was not awarded this year.

Acting Assistant Secretary-General Slavoljupka Pavlović presented the latest publication number XIII with the Commissioner's opinions from this field (Serbian language only).

At the end of the meeting, acting Assistant Secretary-General Zlatko Petrović presented new improvements to the Unified Information System of Information Booklets, streamlining the system for authorities and users to use.