Data on debts of citizens for rendered public utility services might be deemed  information of public importance. However, the category of information concerned is information which penetrate into privacy and for that purpose they are subject to certain limitations pursuant to the provisions of the Article 14 of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance.

In accordance with that, out of data which are being communicated to the public, should be excluded such data, on the basis of which might be identified citizen(s), save for upon his/their explicit consent (which is objectively less possible) or when he/they by his/their behaviour gave a reason for such information to be released (e.g. by asserting that his/their statutory obligations are settled regularly, denying the existence of debt towards the public enterprise concerned and the like).

The said limitations under the Art. 14 must not always be applied. For example, as far as persons of importance to the public are concerned, especially state or government officials, provided the information is important with respect to the function performed by such persons. Certainly, the existence of relevant circumstances and conditions should be assessed in each individual case.

(The answer is contained in the letter sent to an aplicant, no. 011-00-8/2006-03 of 08.04.2006.)