Transparency International on International Right to Know Day
The right to know is crucial in a crisis
COVID-19 is no reason for restrictions on freedom of information
This International Right to Know Day, we call on all governments and public authorities to ensure that the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is not a pretext for limiting citizens’ right to information. Legal and practical processes for accessing information should now be restored to pre-pandemic levels and even improved upon.
The transparent and timely sharing of information with the public, on both a proactive and reactive basis, is crucial for protecting public health, preventing corruption, safeguarding democratic institutionsand improving policy and-decision-making.However, more than six months after the declaration of the pandemic, while many governments have found ways to return to normal operations despite challenges created by the pandemic, freedom of information requests continue to be delayed or refused. Crucial information about the pandemic and how governments are using public funds is not available to the public in many places.This impairs citizens’ rights to access information, participate in public discourse and hold their government accountable.
In many countries, legitimate public health concerns mean that the rights to assemble and move freely are being curtailed. Other democratic processes such as in-person meetings with and between elected representatives are being restricted. The ability of media and civil society to travel freely to report, document and expose the abuse of power is also being severely reduced. In these circumstances, access to public information becomes even more critical.
Access to information is a key tool for investigative journalists and NGOs to monitor the work of government institutions. With widespread examples of corruption and poor, often non-inclusive, policies undermining COVID-19 responses and recoveries around the world, open and transparent government matters now more than ever. Humanitarian aid and trillions of dollars of emergency financing must not be left open to abuse while citizens remain in the dark about its use and allocation.
Lessons learned from the first six months of the pandemic show that trust in public officials is crucial for effective government-led responses that minimise the impact of COVID-19 on lives and livelihoods. This trust will be lost if governments do not openly share information with citizens, thereby undermining compliance with public health directives and other measures to stop the spread of the disease.
Citizens cannot participate in governance without access to information. Access to information is essential for empowering citizens to hold governments accountable. Freedom of press, freedom of expression, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be ensured without access to information.
As countries (re-)introduce restrictions on public life due to COVID-19, preparation for such measures should always include mechanisms to allow the continuation of government functions that are crucial for citizens’ democratic rights. Ensuring the public’s unobstructed access to information of which they are rightful owners must not be overlooked.
Governments must immediately restore laws and practical systems for implementing access to information to pre-pandemic levels and improve them in line with international standards and best practice.
News
Termination of bans, restrictions and obligations for several thousand public officials "on the back door"
Transparency Serbia (TS) warned on Tuesday that the Parliament's adoption of the proposal of the Law on Prevention of Corruption as interpreted would significantly narrow the scope of application, and called on the deputies not to accept that proposal. „Based on this ‘interpretation’, no prohibition, obligation or restriction from the law…
... detaljnije ...Serbia is falling behind on the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index list
Transparency Serbia (a member of the international organization Transparency International) has presented today the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020. The CPI is the most famous global ranking of countries by the perception of corruption in the public sector. Serbia is still considered the country with the high level of corruption…
... detaljnije ...TS:Illegal choice of partner for Serbia’s railroad station, other facilities
According to the available data, the Republic Property Directorate illegally chose a private partner for the joint construction of the Belgrade-Center railway station (Prokop), parking and accompanying commercial facilities. „Besides violating the Law on Public-Private Partnership, there were no reactions from other state bodies, such as from the Government, the Ministry…
... detaljnije ...Research on Corruption Risks in Laws and "COVID regulations" and Analysis of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament
In the second half of 2020, Transparency Serbia analyzed corruption risks in the draft laws. Starting on September 1st 2020, the ministries have an obligation to ask the Anti-Corruption Agency for an opinion on whether a draft law contains a risk of corruption. However, such an obligation exists only for…
... detaljnije ...Business Integrity Country Agenda – BICA Assessment Report Serbia
Transparency Serbia presented the Report on conditions for business with integrity in Serbia.[1]The assessment is based on the methodology that was developed by Transparency International (TI) and until 2020 was implemented in a dozen countries. The analysis is structured into 15 thematic areas, comprising a total of 51 indicators and…
... detaljnije ...International Anti-Corruption Day: Pandemic further weakened anti-corruption mechanisms in Serbia
Serbia is marking December 9, International Anti-Corruption Day, without progress in key areas, and with the pandemic crisis further weakening anti-corruption mechanisms. The crisis caused by the pandemic in Serbia has led to further restrictions in access to information and violations of public procurement rules. This year was another in a series…
... detaljnije ...Transparency Serbia proposed anti-corruption priorities for the new Parliament and Government
Transparency Serbia submitted proposals for priorities in the fight against corruption to the newly elected leaders of the National Assembly and parliamentary committees, as well as the prime minister-designate, as it did after the previous election processes. The proposals include measures that should be implemented by the legislature, but also by…
... detaljnije ...Important messages for the fight against corruption in the report of the European Commission
Transparency - Serbia points that the latest report of the European Commission[1]gives great importance to corruption as a problem for Serbia's progress on the European path, and confirms that state authorities have not implemented numerous laws and plans to fight corruption. In addition to the fact that the word "corruption…
... detaljnije ...Transparency International on International Right to Know Day
The right to know is crucial in a crisis COVID-19 is no reason for restrictions on freedom of information This International Right to Know Day, we call on all governments and public authorities to ensure that the ongoing COVID-19 crisis is not a pretext for limiting citizens’ right to information. Legal and practical processes for…
... detaljnije ...Transparency Serbia submitted a proposal to delete illegal representatives of state-owned companies from the register
Of the 34 state-owned enterprises to which the Law on Public Enterprises applies, only nine have directors selected in a competition, as required by law, while 22 are led by acting directors. In three other companies, it was not possible to determine the status of the director. In 22 cases where…
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The prosecutor did not investigate whether Drobnjak abused his position in Kukulovce
The Special Department for the Suppression of Corruption of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (HPP) in Nis dismissed the criminal complaint of the organization Transparency Serbia against Zoran Drobnjak, the acting director of the SOE "Roads of Serbia"without valid arguments. The complaint reffers to giving bribes in connection with thevoting…
... detaljnije ...Illegal concealment of medical procurement documents
Documents on how public funds are spent on the procurement of medical equipment are twice concealed – The Serbian Government marked them as "strictly confidential” and the procurements were conducted without following the law, it is shown in response from the National Health Insurance Fund to TS. Despite the fact that…
... detaljnije ...Just one point below the line
The very fact that the government of Serbia (i.e. the prime minister’s office) analyzed the content of a report related to the situation in Serbia is, regardless of how incomplete their analysis was (which will be discussed further), a sign of progress compared to the usual flat assessments and outright…
... detaljnije ...The Government should react to negative assessments by solving the identified problems
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... detaljnije ...Reporting on police repression of corruption in Serbia October 2019-March 2020: predominantly small and mid-level cases
Law enforcement informed the public about number of arrests, mostly covering small and mid-level corruption cases, but also few where the illicit gain or rank of perpetuator was higher. prEUgovor member Transparency Serbia prepared an overview of the reported repressive actions during the last six months. The Government web-based platform includes a section…
... detaljnije ...TS addresses parliamentarians
Transparency Serbia - TS (part of the Transparency International network) urged MPs to ask the Serbian government representatives at a parliamentary session on April 28th 2020, to publish information on procurement conducted without application of the Law on Public Procurement during the state of emergency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic…
... detaljnije ...TS calls for procurement transparency in Serbia
Transparency Serbia (TS) requested that all state and medical institutions publish vital information about everything obtained during the state of emergency that was not in line with the Law on Public Procurements. TS said that instead of being available at the official public procurement website, information about buying medical equipment came…
... detaljnije ...Serbian Government Decree - Unlawful Restriction of Rights
Serbian Government decree on informing the population about the condition and consequences of infectious disease COVID-19 - banning anyone but the Crisis Staff from releasing information about the coronavirus pandemic, was reasonably interpreted as an expression of the intention to control the flow of information between health care institutions and…
... detaljnije ...Emergency procedure - why is it important?
There is no doubt that most MPs would have voted for a declaration of a state of emergency in Serbia if the Assembly had gathered, thus at first glance, in the current situation the fact that the act of proclamation of a state of emergency was jointly adopted by the…
... detaljnije ...Reforming public procurement crucial for fighting corruption in the Western Balkans
Public procurement system in the Western Balkans is one of the critical corruption zones – as the government mechanism for buying everything “from a needle to a locomotive” it has been for a long time considered as such by the European Commission, and with a good reason. In the region with…
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Investments in realization of non-existent plan
The Minister of Finance announced that the proceeds from the sale of “Komercijalna Banka” will be invested "in a smart way" and "primarily in the investment plan ‘Serbia 2025’ ".These 400 million euros may be used wisely but certainly not on the basis of the "Serbia 2025 Investment Plan", because…
... detaljnije ...“Special law” discharges most valuable public procurement
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... detaljnije ...Harmful Consequences of Non-Transparency in Public Property Management
Transparency Serbia considers as extremely useful that the State Audit Institution audited the purposefulness of leasing public property. The findings of the SAI illustrate well the findings of the Local Government Transparency Index for 2019[1]. TS found that 86.9% of municipality units posted calls for leases on their sites, and that…
... detaljnije ...Serbian investigative reporter prevented from speaking at UN anti-corruption conference in Abu Dhabi
Statement from the UNCAC Coalition Issued by Transparency International Secretariat Award-winning Serbian journalist Stevan Dojčinović, founder and editor-in-chief of the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network KRIK, was detained at Abu Dhabi International Airport early Wednesday morning. He was arriving in the United Arab Emirates to speak at a major UN anti-corruption event, the Conference…
... detaljnije ...About anticorruption laws on the International anticorruption day
Transparency Serbia is urging MPs to substantially improve four anti-corruption laws at the session that begins today, on an International Anti-Corruption Day, so that the possibility of misuse of public resources and public office gets curbed. The Government has proposed amendments to several articles in the Law on the Anti-Corruption Agency…
... detaljnije ...Whistleblower from Krušik
Faith of potential criminal procedure against whistleblower from „Krušik“ for „revealing of business secret“ depends on several elements. First from the fact on whether the data he provided to the press even had a status of „business secret“. Whether, in other words, that was the information with commercial value because…
... detaljnije ...Report of the Coalition prEUgovor about the progress of Serbia in chapters 23 and 24
Coalition prEUgovor ascertained in the latest report on fulfilling of criteria for chapters 23 and 24 that tendency of degrading continues, that authorities’ only concern is whether the opposition will boycott the elections, therefore functioning of institutions, rule of law and establishing of social consensus are not the priorities. The summary…
... detaljnije ...Statement on donations for sport teams – confessing the abuse of public resources
Statement of the Minister of Finances that since 2014 by today two of the largest football and basketball equips „received from the state“ around 4,7 billion of RSD, represents confession that donations were accompanied by the abuse of official post or trading with influence. According to this statement, that was not…
... detaljnije ...Minister announced, ministry doesn’t know what he is talking about
Minister of Finances Siniša Mali stated in April 2019 that study of justification of constructing the national football stadium will be finalized by 10 May 2019. TS requested from the Ministry of Finances by the beginning of May information–to whom, how, in which procedure was entrusted drafting of study, copy…
... detaljnije ...Making public debate truly public
Transparency Serbia considers as inappropriate that Ministries’ and Government’s group for promotion of election process hasn’t made any effort to enable wider public and stakeholders to participate public debate on changes of three laws, and especially the media. Public debate on changes of the Law on Anticorruption Agency, on public enterprises…
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