Parliament marks International Day for Universal Access to Information

Zagreb - Access to information is a civil and constitutional right and public authorities have the responsibility to make public information requested by citizens, Information Commissioner Zoran Pičuljan said on Friday on the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, which is observed on September 28.

The Information Commissioner has been continually promoting and protecting this right and has been working with the High Administrative Court to raise the standards of the right to access information in Croatia.

"Unfortunately, the right to access information has not yet been sufficiently recognised by citizens, which is why they need to be encouraged to exercise this right, not just by the Commissioner's Office but at local levels as well," Pičuljan said.

Asked to comment on the case of the declaration of assets of the Croatian candidate for a European Commissioner, which the Conflict of Interest Commission cannot make public because of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, Pičuljan said they had received a query about Šuica's "old declaration".

"Should the Commission's decision be overturned on appeal, we will render a decision in a legal process," Pičuljan said, adding that he could not prejudge the outcome because the case might come before the Information Commissioner's Office on appeal.

Author: Hina