Newsroom
Freedom of Access to Information Law breaks new ground in South-Eastern Europe
SARAJEVO 24 October 2000
SARAJEVO, 24 October 2000 - The Office of the High Representative and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina welcome the passage of the Freedom of Access to Information Act by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.
The legislation, introduced by Sejfudin Tokic and Ivo Lozancic, was adopted by the House of Peoples on 23 October. The House of Representatives adopted the legislation on 18 October.
"The Parliamentary Assembly took a truly important step and signalled that it takes seriously the right of citizens to expect accountability and transparency in government. This Parliament is the first in the ex-Yugoslavia to adopt such legislation," OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Robert L. Barry said. "The citizens of this country have been vested with a powerful tool - the legal right to demand information from the government. I can only hope that they will use it."
Under the act, every member of the public has the right to access information held by government and other public bodies. This act presumes that access to information is the rule and denial of access is the exception and requires the government to provide as much information as possible at the lowest reasonable cost.
An important step toward promoting greater openness in government, this act will open doors that have long been closed and will limit the grounds on which information can be withheld. The result of this act will be more informed public discussion of policy, greater review of the actions and decisions of government bodies, and more opportunities for the public to scrutinize information previously available only to the government.
The act was drafted by the OSCE with the guidance of the Office of the High Representative and the extensive assistance of local and international legal experts. The act was also informed by broad public commentary in which many sectors of society participated including the media, NGOs, civic groups, legal practitioners and members of local government.
The OSCE established its present Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1995. In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP), the OSCE Mission activities are to: promote democratization and the building of a vibrant civil society, foster the development of professional journalism and monitor the rights of journalists, monitor and advance the Human Rights situation, supervise the conduct of elections, and encourage Regional Stabilization through arms control and confidence and security-building measures. The OSCE Mission continues to work closely with other international organizations and local institutions to implement the Dayton Peace Accords.
For more information please call OSCE Deputy Spokesperson Sanela T. Becirovic at 00 387 33 292 338 or 00 387 66134 758.
The legislation, introduced by Sejfudin Tokic and Ivo Lozancic, was adopted by the House of Peoples on 23 October. The House of Representatives adopted the legislation on 18 October.
"The Parliamentary Assembly took a truly important step and signalled that it takes seriously the right of citizens to expect accountability and transparency in government. This Parliament is the first in the ex-Yugoslavia to adopt such legislation," OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Robert L. Barry said. "The citizens of this country have been vested with a powerful tool - the legal right to demand information from the government. I can only hope that they will use it."
Under the act, every member of the public has the right to access information held by government and other public bodies. This act presumes that access to information is the rule and denial of access is the exception and requires the government to provide as much information as possible at the lowest reasonable cost.
An important step toward promoting greater openness in government, this act will open doors that have long been closed and will limit the grounds on which information can be withheld. The result of this act will be more informed public discussion of policy, greater review of the actions and decisions of government bodies, and more opportunities for the public to scrutinize information previously available only to the government.
The act was drafted by the OSCE with the guidance of the Office of the High Representative and the extensive assistance of local and international legal experts. The act was also informed by broad public commentary in which many sectors of society participated including the media, NGOs, civic groups, legal practitioners and members of local government.
The OSCE established its present Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 18 December 1995. In accordance with the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP), the OSCE Mission activities are to: promote democratization and the building of a vibrant civil society, foster the development of professional journalism and monitor the rights of journalists, monitor and advance the Human Rights situation, supervise the conduct of elections, and encourage Regional Stabilization through arms control and confidence and security-building measures. The OSCE Mission continues to work closely with other international organizations and local institutions to implement the Dayton Peace Accords.
For more information please call OSCE Deputy Spokesperson Sanela T. Becirovic at 00 387 33 292 338 or 00 387 66134 758.