12. 11. 2004

INFORMATION ACT IN FORCE FROM SATURDAY

BELGRADE, November 12, 2004 - Serbia's Free Access to Information Act comes into force on November 13. The legislation sets a deadline of thirty days for the appointment of officials to resolve demands for information and 45 days for the appointment of a commissioner for information of public significance. The legislation is seen as one of the most important legal instruments in the fight against corruption because, for the first time, it gives members of the public and the media access to information from state bodies. The act defines information of public significance as that in possession of government bodies which the public has a justifiable interest in knowing. The legislation defines exemptions in cases which would endanger the lives, health or privacy of other people, interfere with legal proceedings or endanger the defence of the country or public security. Information will be released with fifteen days of submission of a written application.