Source: "Blic"
Guest Commentator - Rodoljub Sabic, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance
Serbia is one of the last countries which do not have a modern Law on Security Data Classification. For years, The Commissioner for Information has been warning the public of the serious damage that we suffer due to this and of the necessity to pass the Law. Unfortunately, without any results.
Source: "Politika"
Šabić: Confidentiality conceals crime and failure - Cvijan: Highest secrets to remain embargoed up to 60 years
As the National Public Prosecutor's Office attempts to establish who leaked to the press the state secret about negotiations with the USA to settle the case of Miladin Kovačević, who was enabled to flee the United States on a new passport issued by the Serbian Consular Mission in New York after a local court seized his original passport due to a pending investigation, many in Serbia wonder whether confidentiality was justified in the case of a document that envisages special allocations from the national budget, which in effect constitutes spending of taxpayers' money. Here, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, Mr. Rodoljub Šabić, and the Secretary General of Serbian President's Office, Mr. Vladimir Cvijan, MA, speak for "Politika" about classification of secret data and the new law which will govern this issue.Source: Blic
"Best European of the Year" Awards
The "Best European of the Year" plaques were awarded at a ceremony in the City Assembly last night to politicians, economists, businessman and athletes who contributed considerably to Serbia's EU integration in 2008.
The "European Night in Belgrade", an event which has been organized since 2000, was opened by Stamenko Joksimovic, Secretary General of the First European House which organizes this event together with the City Assembly, the Municipality of Cukarica and the delegation of the European Commission.
Source Danas
Author: B. C. B.
Najevropljanin(Most European) Awards for successful efforts aimed at faster integration of Serbia into Europe were presented at Award Ceremony ‘'European evening''' for the ninth time in the City Hall last night. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vuk Jeremic, tennis player, Jelena Jankovic, Slovakia's Ambassador to Serbia Igor Furdik , the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, Rodoljub Sabic, General Manager of ‘'Cacanska Banka'' ,Dragan Jovanovic, President of Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Milos Bugarin are the winners of the award.
Source: "Danas"
The crisis will create a need to address the issue of redundant employees in public administration
Rodoljub Sabic, personal attitude
The world economic crisis and the increase of domestic budget deficit will certainly confront us in the near future with the inevitable need to address an issue which has been swept under the carpet for an intolerably long period of time: a problem of a huge number of employees in our overstaffed Government. And it is equally certain that they will make us regret we let years in which that problem could have been solved in a more convenient or at least less dramatic way just slip by.
Source: "Politika"
The case of a general manager of a public enterprise in a provincial part of Serbia who will pay a fine in the amount of RSD 10,000 because he did not submit requested information to a citizen within the deadline of 15 days set by the law confirms that the authorities do not turn a blind eye to the mistakes of managers. The general manager could have saved himself from the fine if he had issued a decision on rejection of a citizen's request with valid reasons. The general manager was fined for infringement pursuant to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance and the amount of the fine was determined taking into account the nature and seriousness of the offence, degree of responsibility, time that had passed and the fact that the information was submitted subsequently according to the ruling of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance. The fact that the general manager had not been sentenced or fined for last two years, combined with the results of determination of his financial standing, resulted in the fine - which may be pronounced in an amount between RSD 5,000 and 50,000 - being set at RSD 10,000 with rationale that the purpose of fining would be achieved in that way.
