International Right to Know Day

This years 28 September, International Right to Know Day, we welcomed in Serbia in a much better mood than in previous year. Namely, in one of the several meetings that were dedicated to the right to access to information, representatives of the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-governance implied that the Law won’t be changed afterall, so that the companies in state ownership will not be  excluded from the control of the public. Instead, the possibility remains that such enterprises deny access to information if the interest for guarding the business secret prevail over the right of public to know, if they properly elaborate their decision and Commissioner agrees with their decision during the complaining process.

Certainly, we cannot be sure of whether the danger is gone as long as the final text of the amendments remains unknown. Special cautiousness is necessary with the definition of the term of authority organ, not to leave out any legal person that manages the public property. Among other, changes should be such to comprehend dependent companies (e. g. companies established by EPS and other public enterprises) and all other subjects in majority state ownership. It should also comprehend companies where state is the minority owner, but owns the "control package" of bonds, where company has been given public property of large value for use or guarantees for the credits.