News

Slavoljupka Pavlović, Acting Assistant Secretary-General (Sector for Complaints and Enforcement in the Field of Access to Information) in the Office of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection held on November 9, 2023, online training in the field of application of the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance for 120 representatives of various public authorities. The training called "How to act correctly on a request for access to information - step by step" aims to eliminate the most common mistakes in the public authorities handling of requests for access to information.

The training was attended by representatives of various public authorities, mostly from local self-government units, centers for social work, health institutions, and scientific institutes. The questions that were resolved after this training session serve as a valid justification for this kind of custom-made training regarding specific, frequent problems and doubts in handling requests for access to information. The training participants are now familiarized with what must be considered when handling requests and how they must be submitted to the Commissioner in this time-sensitive complaint proceedings with deadlines, for the proceeding to be valid and correct.

You can download the presentation from the training HERE (pdf version, in Serbian only).

The collection of the necessary costs for making a copy of a document containing information of public importance is paid to the Ministry of Finance Treasury Administration account no 840-742328843-30, model 97, with the reference number of the municipality (in Serbian only).

If you are interested in training sessions organized by the Commissioner, please feel free to contact us and send your request via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Kragujevac, November 3, 2023

The "Importance of Access to Environmental Information for the Improvement and Protection of the Environment" workshop was held today in Kragujevac, organized by the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia. The workshop was also an opportunity to present the current situation in the field of environmental information availability and highlight the new powers of the Commissioner in situations where environmental information is refused to the public and what are the obstacles in the realization of the right to access environmental information, that is, how to overcome them and improve the situation in that field.

The workshop brought together representatives of the Academic Community, Public Authorities dealing with issues of environmental protection at the state and local level, all interested members of the public, representatives of the Commissioner's Office, and Civil Society Organizations.

On this occasion, the publication "Exercising the Right to Access Environmental Information" (version in Serbian language only) was presented by Slavoljupka Pavlović, Acting Assistant Secretary-General in the Sector for Complaints and Enforcement in the Field of Access to Information related to the first pillar of the Aarhus Convention, which is included in the publication.

It was pointed out that one of the main problems is the high percentage of administrative silence of the authorities regarding requests for access to environmental information. Also, there is a high percentage of non-implemented decisions of the Commissioner's orders to disclose environmental information. Thanks to the amendments to the Law and the unblocking of the mechanisms for the enforcement of the Commissioner's decisions, that problem has been eliminated.

At the end of the workshop, the actors concluded that without access to environmental information, there is no public participation in decision-making as one of the necessities for a good definition of public policies, and the adoption of strategies and appropriate measures for environmental protection.

The event is realized within the Project "Application of the Aarhus Convention and Access to Information of Public Importance".

On November 1, 2023, Commissioner Milan Marinović and the head of the Sector for Complaints and Enforcement in the Field of Access to Information, Slavoljupka Pavlović, attended the Ceremonial Reception of the ninth generation of the Legal Clinic for Environmental Law of the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade.

In his opening address to the attendees and guests, the Commissioner emphasized the importance of the long-term fruitful cooperation between the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection and the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade when it comes to the education of students in the field of access to environmental information of public importance and the implementation of professional practice of participants of the aforesaid Legal Clinic in Commissioner's premises.

Also, the Commissioner familiarized the audience with the fact that in cooperation between the Commissioner and the OSCE Mission to Serbia, the publication "Exercising the Right to Access to Environmental Information"* was recently published, and written by Slavoljupka Pavlović, who also, for this purpose, holds lectures in different Serbian cities.

*(version in Serbian only)