The joint action of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media in North Macedonia (JUFREX)” during the past two days supported the Agency for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information of North Macedonia (ASPI) in the organisation of the Third Regional Conference under “Initiative 2020”: Proactive Transparency and the Tromsø Convention.
During this Conference, the independent bodies for free access to public information, signatories of the “Initiative 2020”, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia, agreed proactive transparency to be the key tool for transparency, accountability and openness of institutions in the future focus of the law on free access to public information. The publication and updating of data of the websites of public entities, shall be a primary obligation and duty, whereas transparency, upon requests for access to information shall be a secondary obligation of the holders of information of state bodies.
Patrick Penninckx, Head of Information Society Department, Council of Europe, opened the Regional Conference by referring to the effective protection of the right of access to public information as a key feature of good governance and an indicator of whether or not a society is genuinely democratic and pluralistic, and open to the enlightened participation of citizens in matters of public interest. He added that it is equally important for free and independent media outlets, journalists and other media actors to have legal and guaranteed access to information and official documents in order to inform the public and conduct journalist investigations. Without transparent regulation of media and swift access to information of public interest, journalists are prevented from fulfilling their mission of objectively informing the public.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence
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