OSCE supports implementation of access to information law in Montenegro

Implementation of the new Law on Free Access to Information was the focus of a roundtable discussion organized by OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Human Resources Management Authority on 22 April 2013 in Podgorica.

At the event, 65 representatives of public bodies were informed about their new responsibilities under the law, the new competencies of the Agency for the Protection of Personal Data and Access to Information and the distinction between classified information and information that can be made public.

The Head of the OSCE Mission, Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, said at the opening of the event that implementation of citizens’ rights to access  state information furthers their involvement in the decision-making process and is an important tool for the democratization of country. “The Law on Free Access to Information is especially important in the fight against corruption, which is one of Montenegro’s stated priorities,” he said.

Svetlana Vuković, the Director of the Human Resources Management Authority, said that proper implementation of the law would contribute to the transparency and accountability of the work of the authorities by creating legal and institutional preconditions for access to all information of public interest.

Participants agreed that implementation of the law required co-ordination between all stakeholders as well as the building of capacities of civil servants dealing with the requests for access to information.

The event, which was organized in co-operation with the Interior Ministry, is part of the Mission’s efforts to support the implementation of the Law, which entered into force in February.