Source: Blic
From the viewpoint of free access to information, a provision of the Bill determining the maximum number of employees in republic administration, drafted by the Government of Serbia and forwarded to the National Assembly for adoption, deserves special attention. The provision in question is article 6 which stipulates that the data on the number of employees and contracted individuals are public. Furthermore, it stipulates that state administration bodies, public agencies and mandatory social welfare organizations are due to publish such data on their Internet presentations. And which is more, it envisages the existence of a special Register on the number of employed and contracted individuals in all these organs, which should be installed and managed by the Ministry of Finance, with an obligation to publish it on its Internet presentation.
Someone might say that this provision is redundant, that these are data which are already public pursuant to another law. Although it is doubtless that data on the number of employees in government bodies are an absolutely legitimate object of public interest pursuant to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, this provision is still good and necessary. Namely, under the Law on free Access to Information of Public Importance, upon the request of citizens and journalists, every public body is unquestionably obliged to provide these data. However, there is no explicit obligation to publish them proactively, without a request, and the attempt of the Commissioner for Information to establish such an obligation, by publishing the Instruction for Publishing the Information Booklet, yielded partial results. Therefore a legal decision on obligatory publishing on the Internet should be supported, and following adoption of the law consistent implementation insisted on.
Although, prior to all this, it should be good if the Government itself or the MP's, amended this provision with an appropriate amendment and insert an obligation of publishing the amount of budget resources used for salaries and professional fees of employees i.e. contracted individuals. Isn't it obvious that it is only thus that provision would obtain its full and legal meaning?
