FREEDOM OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT FOR BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA SECTION I PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS Article 1 Purposes The purposes of this Act are: a. to acknowledge that information in the control of public authorities is a valuable public resource and that public access to such information promotes greater transparency and accountability of those authorities, and is essential to the democratic process; b. to establish that every person has a right to access this information to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest, and that public authorities have a corresponding obligation to disclose information; and c. to enable every natural person to request the amendment of, and to comment on, his or her personal information in the control of a public authority. Article 2 Interpretation This Act shall be interpreted so as to facilitate and promote the maximum and prompt disclosure of information in the control of public authorities at the lowest reasonable cost. Article 3 Definitions For the purpose of this Act: 1. "information" means any material which communicates facts, opinions, data or any other content, including any copy or portion thereof, regardless of physical form, characteristics, when it was created, or how it is classified. 2. "public authority" means any of the following in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a. b. c. d. an executive authority; a legislative authority; a judicial authority; a body appointed or established by law to carry out a public function;