ADOPTION OF DECLARATION ON THE COOPERATION OF THE SECOND LEVEL BODIES FOR ACCESS TO INFORMATION 2020

Representatives of regulatory bodies for access to public information participated in an online conference held today (20 October 2020). The Information Commissioner of Slovenia organized the conference, and it was attended by representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. 

The director of the Agency for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, Plamenka Bojcheva, also made her presentation at the conference. In her presentation, Bojcheva introduced the attendees to the new Law on Free Access to Public Information, as well as the activities are undertaken by the Agency in the period after the implementation of the law began.

Also, the representatives of related institutions were introduced to the new IT tools that the Agency is preparing for applicants and holders, i.e. the portals www.slobodenpristap.mk and the portal for holders so that they will be able to use the right of access to information in a quick and simplified way. 

At the same time, the holders will use modern technologies for faster implementation of legal obligations. There are also two videos intended for information seekers and holders.

Director Bojcheva emphasized that in the coming period, in cooperation with civil society organizations, the Agency will work on a proposal for amendments to the legal regulation in relation to the exceptions from the Law, the harm test, in the part of specifying the proactive transparency, as well as the misdemeanor procedure in relation to the responsible persons. among the holders of public information.

The representatives’ presentations resulted in the conclusion that all countries participating in the conference are facing the same or similar problems, and several topics were defined for a future meeting and exchange of experiences.

At the end of the conference, the 2020 Declaration on the Cooperation of Secondary Authorities for Access to Information and the logo of the Declaration was unanimously adopted.