LAW ON FREE ACCESS TO INFORMATION
OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
I Basic Provisions
Purposes of the Law
Article 1
This Law regulates the rights to access information of public importance held by
public authority bodies, with the purpose of the fulfillment and protection of the public
interest to know and attain a free democratic order and an open society.
In order to implement the right to access information of public importance, held
by public authority bodies, a Commissioner for Information of Public Importance shall be
established (hereinafter: Commissioner) by this Law, as an autonomous state body,
independent in fulfilling its authority.
Information of Public Importance
Article 2
Information of public importance, within the meaning of this Law, is information
held by a public authority body, created during work or related to the work of the public
authority body, contained in a document, and related to everything that the public has a
justified interest to know.
Information of public importance held by a public authority body shall denote the
following notwithstanding: whether the source of information is a public authority or
another person; the information medium (paper, tape, film, electronic media, et al)
containing the document with the information; the date of creation of information; the
manner of obtaining information; or another feature of information.
Public Authority Body
Article 3
In terms of this Law, a public authority body (hereinafter: public authority) shall
denote notably:
1)
A state body, territorial autonomy body, a local self-governance body, as well as
an organization vested with public authority (hereinafter: state body);
2)
A legal person founded by or funded wholly or predominantly by a state body.
Legal Presumptions of Justified Interest
Article 4
It shall be deemed that there is always a justified public interest to know
information held by the public authority, in terms of Article 2 of this Law, regarding a
threat to, i.e. protection of public health and the environment, while with regard to other
information the public authority holds, it shall be deemed that there is a justified interest
of the public to know, in terms of Article 2 of this Law, unless proven otherwise by the
public authority.