The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection met with representatives of the Restitution Network today to discuss problems concerning access to information related to denationalization and restitution. Representatives of the Restitution Network informed the Commissioner that although a lot of information was obtained as result of the Commissioner’s intervention, serious difficulties in obtaining information still remain, singling out in particular the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning.

Commissioner Rodoljub Sabić stated that the Restitution Network receiving most of the relevant information only after appealing to the Commissioner, and upon his intervention was unacceptable, and added:

“The number of complaints which the Restitution Network was compelled to file with the Commissioner for Information is disturbing. 109 complaints were filed against various public authorities, primarily Ministries. 87 complaints have been resolved so far. In 51 cases, immediately upon the Commissioner’s intervention – after his demand for a reply, and with no particular reason given, information which had previously been withheld was released by the authorities; and in 29 cases, information was released only after the Commissioner officially instructed such action. A few instructions were, however, complied with in a “pro forma” manner, or partially, or were not even complied with at all.

Problems such as these in exercising the right to free access to information cannot be justified. This is particularly true when the information denied concerns draft bills which are to be adopted in the near future, and which should, at any rate, be available for public discussion; or documents on which such laws are based, and which the Restitution Network considers to be questionable, offering valid arguments for forming such an opinion.

All matters concerning denationalisation are legitimate issues of interest not only for citizens who are directly concerned with taking back the property that was once confiscated from their families, but for all the citizens of Serbia as well, because the manner, type and scope of restitution will determine the proportion which will, directly or indirectly, eventually be borne by everyone. Finally, the restitution issue is a legitimate matter of interest for the public as a whole, considering the fact that the EU highlighted this problem as a significant one in the process of Serbia’s European integration.

Based on the above reasons I would like to emphasize again that it is essential for relevant authorities to provide a much higher degree of transparency in all activities pertaining to restitution.”