Description:

After nearly four years since the adoption of the Law on Free Access to
Information, the Montenegrin state institutions continue to invest
significant effort in obstructing law enforcement, then in providing
information about their work. Although progress is evident in relation to
the beginning of the implementation, institutions are still reluctant to
provide information that may indicate the existence of corruption or other
violations of the law.

In the past four years, only MANS submitted over 21,000 requests for
information to most of the state institutions of which every fourth
request encountered silence of administration and the unwillingness of
institutions to provide the requested information. Other problems in
access to information held by government bodies such as the cost of
access, manner of insight into information and disregard of legal terms
and court decisions in this area, and still are the most common excuses
used to not to provide required information.

State institutions that are still leading inadequate implementation of the
Law are primarily Police Directorate, Ministry of Finance and the former
Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Welfare which submitted most of the
information only after the complaints and claims before the court. After
them, the institutions also rarely correspond to the requirements for
information as the Privatization Council and the Ministry of Education and
Science.

On the other hand, institutions that had been most responsive in respect
of the right to free access to information are Directorate for
Anti-Corruption Initiative, Employment Biro, the Supreme Court and the
Commission for conflict of interest, and the Parliament of Montenegro, but
only after changing the Secretary General of this institutions.

However, the absence of political remain the greatest obstacle for
adequate and full implementation of the Law, bearing in mind that free
access to information is globally recognized as one of the most effective
mechanisms for combating corruption.

Although the adoption of the law should mark an increase transparency of
state institutions, so far very little has been done in Montenegro to
change the practice of key decisions being reached far from the public
eye, while the application of the law itself is still largely conditioned
by perception of the majority of high level state officials that they do
not need to response to citizens whose tax is financing their work.

International Freedom of Information Day that is celebrated around the
world, MANS will mark through a series of public performances in 11
Montenegrin municipalities, during which MANS will inform citizens about
importance of law and explain how to use the rights it guarantees.

During the performance of MANS will enable citizens to directly submit a
request for information to the authorities of their municipalities.
Performances will be organized in Podgorica, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Niksic,
Kolasin, Mojkovac, Bijelo Polje, Berane, Kotor, Herceg Novi and Bar.