MORE THAN 750 BACKLOGGED CASES HAVE BEEN RESOLVED; THE AGENCY IS CURRENTLY DEDICATED TO THE OTHER LEGAL OBLIGATIONS

Since its establishment on December 26, 2019, as a legal follower of the Commission for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, the Agency for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information has been dedicated to the fulfilment of its legal obligations and tasks. The priority of the Agency’s work over the last two months has been to clear the backlog of transferred cases from 2018 and 2019 as a result of the non-functioning of the Commission for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Information of a Public Character, which could not make effective decisions due to lack of workforce. 

In this regard, more than 750 complaints have been addressed and resolved. The individual applicants have notified the Agency, i.e., the holders of information (complainants), that the decisions have been implemented and the requested information has been delivered to the applicant.

In accordance with its legal authority, the Agency records and processes the received annual reports that information holders are required to submit to the Agency by January 31 of the current year for the previous year, i.e., 2019. 

The Agency is simultaneously processing and analyzing the data included in the yearly reports in order to compile the summary report on the implementation of the Law that it is mandated to be prepared and presented to the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia by the end of March.

The agency is also working to update the List of Holders of Information, who, under the new Law, must designate an official person as well as submit an address, phone number, and other necessary data. At the same time, the Agency is preparing the by-laws that it is required to adopt under the Law on Free Access to Public Information, as well as the Guidelines for Implementing the Law.