Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia 2006

Implementation of Transitional Laws in Serbia 2006received 540 responses, i.e. 72.28 per cent. The fact that an increase hasbeen recorded in the percentage in which responses are received to therequested information is positive, because last year 645 requests were sent,and 318 responses were received, i.e. 49.30 per cent. It can be concludedthat in comparison to last year, the percentage of received information hasrisen 22.58 percent.In the year 2005, of 212 tested organs, 81 obeyed the law, i.e. 30.92 per cent,and in 2006 167 organs of public authorities from the 378 tested, whichmeans 44.18 per cent. Therefore, the increase has been recorded here also,as well as an improvement in the quality of the implementation of the law.Appointing authorized people in the public authority bodiesfor action upon requestsMunicipalities in Serbia were tested on whether they had appointed theauthorized people for actions upon requests. The law does not regulatethe duty of the organs of public authorities to name this person, only thepossibility of it, and in case the authorized person has not been named,the administrator of the organ is responsible 236 . The Initiative believesthat the appointment of an authorized person would significantly add tothe improvement of the implementation of the law in practice, becausein every organ of public authorities there would be a person whose soleduty would be to enable access to information of public significance, andthere would not be any dilemmas about the potential responsibility for notobeying the law.One hundred forty one requests were sent to the addresses of 141municipalities in Serbia. Eighty four municipalities delivered an answer,among which 66, i.e. 46.80 per cent had named an authorized person,and 18 had not. Sixty eight of the tested municipalities did not answer thesubmitted request.236 Ibid, Article 38, Paragraph 262