Commissioner

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection is an autonomous public authority, who exercises his/her powers independently and whose competences are focused on the protection fot he right of free access to information of public importance. The Commissioner acts under the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance ("Off. Gazette of RS" no. 120/04, 54/07, 104/09 and 36/10) and represents a key institution in Serbia in all cases when the right of citizens to access information of public importance is threatened or denied.
Information of public importance are those contained in documents held by any public authority, developed either in their work or in connection with their work, and for which the public has a legitimate interest to know. Based on the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance it is considered that, with regard to the information on threats to and protection of human health and the environment, there is always a legitimate public interest to know. In other words, virtually any information on the state of the environment and environmental protection measures has to be public.

In addition, the Law establishes special privileged status for information related to threats or protection of the environment, defining 48 hours since the receipt of the application as a deadline for application processing (Article 16, paragraph 2). In addition, the Law provides exemption from the obligation to pay the document copy printing and postal costs for persons seeking access to information related to threats or the protection of public health and the environment (Article 17, paragraph 4).

Contents of the right regarding access to information of public importance

Basic legal rights regarding access to information of public importance are:

- the right of the applicant to be informed whether the public authorities hold specific information, i.e. whether it is otherwise accessible;
- the right of the applicant to have the information of public interest accessible by providing free of charge insight in a document containing the information;
- the right of the applicant to obtain a copy of the document containing the requested information, upon reimbursing the necessary costs of copying the document and
- the right of the applicant to receive a copy of the document sent to the address by mail, fax, electronically or otherwise, upon reimbursing the costs of sending.

If the requested information is already available to the public, the applicant is entitled to be informed about where and when it was published. If the document contains information that the public has no legitimate interest to know, the applicant has the right to access other parts of the documents.

Forms for the request for access to information and for complaints

1. Form for the Request for access to information of public importance can be accessed here.

2. Form for the Complaint in cases of failure to process the request (silence of authority) can be accessed here.

3. Form for the Complaint against decision on refusal to access to information can be accessed here.

Other forms can be accessed here:
http://www.poverenik.rs/en/forms-pi.html

Relevant documents for download

Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance ("Off. Gazette of RS" no. 120/04, 54/07, 104/09 and 36/10) can be accessed here.

Guide for the Application of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance (in Serbian only)
http://www.poverenik.rs/images/stories/dokumentacija-nova/vodic/prirucnikzaprimenuzakonacir.pdf

Contact data of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

Address: Svetozara Markovića 42, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
E-mail: office@poverenik.rs
Telephone: +381 (0)11 3408 900
Fax: +381 (0)11 2685 023

For more information on the activities of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, as well as on the procedures of filing requests for access to information and for filing complaints, visit the Internet presentation of the Commissioner:
http://www.poverenik.rs