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OSCE Mission to Skopje supports efforts to improve access to information in south-eastern Europe
SKOPJE 10 November 2006
SKOPJE, 10 November 2006 - How to best help citizens use their rights under laws on access to information was the focus of an international conference that ended today in Skopje.
The two-day meeting, supported by the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje and the Vienna-based OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media was organized by the National Commission on Free Access to Public Information and the local non-governmental organization, Pro Media.
"Free access to information is vital for achieving genuine freedom of media and for the democratic functioning of the state," said Ambassador Natalya Drozd, the OSCE Mission's Deputy Head. "It enables citizens to expect and request information from government and state institutions, thus guaranteeing transparency and accountability."
Representatives of regional Access to Information State Oversight Institutions, judges, lawyers and civil society experts discussed their best practices and lessons learned.
"By sharing experiences, we can work more efficiently as we establish all structures and mechanisms that will provide citizens with information," said Janko Nikolovski, President of the National Commission.
The participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia also discussed legislation and practices related to access to information issues in different OSCE participating States, collected by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
Prior to this event, the OSCE Mission supported the training of the Commission members and funded the publication of handbooks on the rights and duties of officials, holders of information and of citizens that request information from official institutions.
The two-day meeting, supported by the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje and the Vienna-based OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media was organized by the National Commission on Free Access to Public Information and the local non-governmental organization, Pro Media.
"Free access to information is vital for achieving genuine freedom of media and for the democratic functioning of the state," said Ambassador Natalya Drozd, the OSCE Mission's Deputy Head. "It enables citizens to expect and request information from government and state institutions, thus guaranteeing transparency and accountability."
Representatives of regional Access to Information State Oversight Institutions, judges, lawyers and civil society experts discussed their best practices and lessons learned.
"By sharing experiences, we can work more efficiently as we establish all structures and mechanisms that will provide citizens with information," said Janko Nikolovski, President of the National Commission.
The participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia also discussed legislation and practices related to access to information issues in different OSCE participating States, collected by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.
Prior to this event, the OSCE Mission supported the training of the Commission members and funded the publication of handbooks on the rights and duties of officials, holders of information and of citizens that request information from official institutions.