SUMMARY INFORMATION ON THE AGENCY’S ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORT 2024
The right of free access to public information is one of the basic mechanisms for ensuring transparency and accountability of public information holders. This right is crucial for citizens, the media, and civil society organizations in their efforts to supervise the work of institutions and prevent the abuse of public resources.
The annual report on the work of the Agency for the Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information for 2024 provides a detailed overview of the implementation of the Law on Free Access to Public Information, including the number of submitted requests, appeals, resolved cases, as well as the activities, challenges, and achievements in the field of transparency and access to information in North Macedonia.
The report emphasizes the importance of free access to information as a democratic right that contributes to increasing transparency and accountability of information holders and its role in the fight against corruption.
Key activities and achievements:
In 2024, 354 appeals were submitted to the Agency. Of them, 245 appeals (69.2%) were due to the administration’s silence, which indicates a continuing problem with institutions that do not act on requests for access to information within the legally established deadlines.
Concerning the annual reports of the holders on applying the Law, from a total of 1.465 information holders, 1.414 (96,52%) submitted annual reports to the Agency. In contrast, 51 institutions (3.48%) have not fulfilled this legal obligation.
The most requests for information were submitted to:
- Local self-government units and planning regions – 266 requests
- The bodies of the state administration – 115 requests
Appeals mainly were filed against:
- The bodies of the state administration – 140 appeals;
- Municipalities and Centers for the Development of Planning Regions – 93 appeals;
- Public enterprises and public institutions – 43 appeals;
- Judicial power – 25 appeals;
- Legal and natural persons exercising public powers – 25 appeals;
- Educational institutions – 20 appeals;
- Health institutions – 7 appeals, and
- The political parties – 1 appeal.
The report on the Agency’s work emphasizes the significant improvement in information holders’ proactive publication of information on their websites.
However, the challenges related to the updating and accuracy of the data remain. Cooperation with civil and international organizations and bodies has been continued, all to improve access to information and exchange of best practices in this area.
The ratification of the Tromsø Convention represents an essential step towards improving the legal framework for access to information in North Macedonia. In the reporting period, nine free trainings for officials were conducted, divided into two cycles, with 200 participants from various institutions.
Challenges in the implementation of LFAPI and the work of the Agency:
Despite the improvements, the administration’s silence remains a serious problem, with 69.2% of the appeals filed precisely because of the institutions’ inaction.
- Certain public institutions still do not act according to the Agency’s decisions, which indicates the need for strengthened sanctioning mechanisms.
- The Agency’s limited financial and personnel resources represent an obstacle to efficiently implementing all activities.
- Institutional management structures need greater awareness of the importance of transparency and the right to access information.
- It is needed to monitor the situation regarding applying the Law on Free Access to Information more intensively and continuously improve its implementation.
Recommendations:
- Increasing the capacities of the Agency through financial and personnel support so that it can perform its responsibilities more efficiently.
- Strengthening mechanisms for sanctioning institutions that do not act according to legal obligations.
- Promoting a culture of proactive information disclosure as a way of reducing the need for formal requests to access information.
- Continuing the education of officials and improving digital tools for information management.
- Additional research and analysis will be conducted on the reasons for institutions’ non-action on requests for access to information.
- Improving cooperation with judicial authorities for faster resolution of administrative disputes related to access to information.
Conclusion:
The annual report shows progress in transparency and access to information as a whole but also points to significant challenges that must be overcome to realize this fundamental human right.
Only through more effective implementation of the Law and proactive transparency will it be possible to ensure the full availability of public information and increase citizens’ trust in institutions.
With the commitment of all stakeholders, greater transparency and accountability of public institutions in North Macedonia are possible.
You can download the full Annual Report on the work of the Agency at the following link:
