Continuous education is crucial as it strengthens the capacity of local self-government to serve citizens, particularly in matters of transparency. This was the conclusion of a two-day training organized by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) on 9 and 10 September in Kolašin, for 19 representatives of local governments from the Northern region of Montenegro.
This training provided participants with the opportunity to gain detailed insight into the key aspects of the Law on Free Access to Information as its obligors. The sessions covered topics such as the legal framework, handling requests for access to information, deadlines and forms of decisions, as well as situations where no decision is made. Other topics discussed included restrictions on access to information, the harm test, overriding public interest, and the proactive publication of information, all aimed at improving access to information and ensuring more open and accountable local government operations.
“I express overall satisfaction with the topics and objectives of the training for the obligors of the Law on Free Access to Information, primarily due to the fact that the issues covered are those we regularly encounter in practice. The training was dynamic, and all participants could engage at any time to obtain information that will be useful for application in future cases,” emphasizes Lidija Lašić, Chief Administrator of the Municipality of Kolašin.
“After this training, I can say that I managed to resolve many dilemmas that had been problematic in my previous handling of requests for free access to information,” states Snežana Matijević, Advisor for Normative and Legal Affairs at the Inspection Affairs Secretariat in the Municipality of Bijelo Polje.
The focus of the training was also on recognizing and preventing the abuse of rights, as well as on the obligations of first-instance bodies in applying the Law on Free Access to Information. Additionally, the training had a practical aspect, including the preparation of decisions/acts in response to requests for information and analysis of specific examples from the practice of the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information and the Administrative Court.
The training is part of the project “Transparent Bodies – Informed Citizens,” which the CCE is implementing with financial support from the Ministry of Public Administration.
Itana Gogić, Project Assistant