Citizens, media and NGOs address Commission for Information of Public Importance pointing out that certain Government authorities deprive access to public information due to the fact that Commission for Information of Public Importance has not issued the instruction according to the law.  

On that occasion Commission Rodoljub Sabic has made the following statement:

"Pursuant to the Law on Free Access to the Information of Public Importance everyone is entitled to be informed whether the Government authority has certain information of public importance and is entitled to have an insight in the document that contains the information as well as to obtain the copy of such a document.

These rights can be restricted in a democratic society only when it is necessary and only in the cases explicitly regulated by the law. The acts of the law must not be interpreted in the way to confine citizens' rights, except in the stated cases.

It is neither stated by the law nor do the government authorities need a specific instruction to perform most of the obligations which are stipulated by the law in order to fulfill citizens' rights.

According to the law Commission issues an instruction to publish an information pack which will be created by Government authority at least once a year and which will contain the basic facts about the performance. Commission has not provided the instruction yet, because it is impossible due to the lack of basic assumptions for performance.  However, it is clear that it must not be and it is not an obstacle to fulfill concrete citizens' demands submitted in accordance with the law.

Regarding that I underline that when the authorized fail to comply with the acts of Law on free access to the information represents the breach of citizens' rights and it is considered to be the violation which is fined by the law up to 50.000 dinars.