Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Rodoljub Sabic has received representatives of Association of Judicial Servants and Collaborators of Serbia regarding the request of the Association to publicize complete information on application of the „Rule Book on Salaries and Other Earnings of the Employees in the Ministry of Finance – Tax Administration“, as well as to  eliminate doubts resulting from controversial statements of responsible officials placed to the public, which cause dilemma regarding whether the Rule Book has been applied or not. During directing representatives of the Association to, according to the legally envisaged procedure, before potential complaint to the Commissioner, turn to the Ministry of Finance with adequate request, the Commissioner, Rodoljub Sabic also stated the following:

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Mr. Rodoljub Sabic, perceives the extremely large  number of complaints submitted to him by citizens and the media  to be  worrying and indicative of a need for a much more energetic and  quicker change of attitude of  relevant authorities in regards to their  obligation to provide the public with as much documented information on their activities as possible, on a proactive basis. Announcing that he shall, in compliance with his legal authorities, convey new Instructions for Publishing of Information Memorandum, the Commissioner Mr. Rodoljub Sabic stated the following:

Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Rodoljub Sabic spoke today with representatives of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (Nezavisno udruzenje novinara Srbije - NUNS) Vukasin Obradovic, Chairman and Svetozar Rakovic, Secretary General.  Topic of the conversation was the role and contribution of journalists and media in achieving free access to information and the need to more quickly and energetically secures conditions for the media to play their role freely and responsibly, in a way adequate and necessary in a democratic society. In relation to that, the Commissioner, Rodoljub Sabic said the following:

Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection evaluates that regarding the status of personal data protection, it is illustrative and simultaneously very worrisome data that since 15^th May, when the Register of Personal Data Bases has been established, obligation to report personal data basis has been executed by extremely small number of subjects. The Commissioner evaluated that the level of knowledge about the content of personal data protection standards and obligations determined by the Personal Data Protection Act is low, practically on all levels, and is the main problem in the law implementation. The Commissioner, Rodoljub Sabic also stated the following:

The international conference “Freedom of Access to Information and the Position of Whistleblowers”, hosted on 29 June 2010 in Belgrade by the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection gathered more than 70 participants.

More about the event

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection spoke today with the Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic about certain open questions related to the fulfillment of the right to free access to information in the Ministry of Interior’s possession. A separate topic of conversation was the need to establish normative conditions in order to fulfill the right to free access to information, as well as limit that right, in accordance with contemporary democratic standards.

In this regard, the Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic stated the following:

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection received a complaint from the Serbian Progressive Party signed by the President of that Party Tomislav Nikolic which points out at the misuse of personal data of several thousands of citizens of Bor. The complaint states that this data was used to distribute falsified invoices with purposefully mistaken appropriation: “aid to Serbian Progressive Party’s campaign”. The Commissioner will, according to the Law, take this complaint into consideration without any delay.

In this regard, the Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic stated the following:

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Data Protection has today, on his official electronic presentation  www.poverenik.rs published, text of the Resolution on Protection of „Vigilantes“ translated into Serbian (insiders, whistle blowers, etc.), www.poverenik.rs/index.php/sr/doc/medjunarodni-dokumenti which has been recently adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.  Reminding that this Resolution invites all member countries to retest their respective regulations, the Commissioner evaluated that even without that invitation, there are more than enough of reasons for Serbia to secure in its legal system, adequate status and protection to the people who have come into conflict with formal or informal rules  about “secrets” in order to protect public interest and oppose criminal and corruption, and therefore they suffer completely undeserved, unpleasant consequences.

In relation to that, the Commissioner, Rodoljub Šabić also stated:

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Rodoljub Sabic, has approved of the amendments submitted by the Ombudsman, Sasa Jankovic, to the Electronic Communications Bill and appealed to the MP’s to adopt them. Highlighting that disinformation is not and cannot be in the MP’s interest when making right decisions, the Commissioner has also asked the Minister for Telecommunications, Jasna Matic, to refrain from placing disinformation.

In relation to that, the Commissioner, Rodoljub Sabic has stated the following: