SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED SECOND WORKSHOP IN COLLABORATION WITH NDI

The Agency for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information, in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute, held the second workshop on free access to public information. The workshop is part of the project “Communities with Integrity” financed by the governments of Switzerland and Sweden, and implemented by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

The topic of the workshop was “From commitment to action: Creating effective internal procedures for transparency at the municipal level”.

The workshop was dedicated to supporting officials, as well as employees from several sectors in the municipalities of Bitola, Gazi Baba, Shtip, Bogovinje and Kumanovo, which are part of the project, in developing and improving internal procedures for handling requests for public information, as well as for proactive transparency. Internal procedures will contribute to timely and efficient handling of submitted requests for free access, as well as to the publication of public information on their web pages.

Through introductory speeches and interactive sessions, representatives from the Agency presented the legal obligations, key steps and practical guidelines for the development of internal procedures. Participants worked in groups on mapping existing practices, identifying weaknesses and challenges, as well as preparing new internal procedures for dealing with requests, but also for proactive transparency.

The workshop ended with a presentation of the work done by the working groups and a discussion of the next steps towards the establishment of systematic and transparent processes at the municipal level. As a conclusion from the workshop, it emerged that the systematic introduction of internal procedures is key to strengthening the institutional culture of openness, as well as facilitating access to information for citizens.