Issues of Anonymization, Lobbying, and Business Secrets on the Path to Transparent Governance

On the occasion of the International Day for the Right to Access Information, a panel discussion titled “What Have We Achieved and What Separates Us from Transparent Governance?” was held in Zagreb, discussing the progress made in implementing the legal framework for access to information in nearly three years of the independent institution of the Information Commissioner and assessing the challenges that separate us from the full realization of the goal: transparent and open governance and administration.

Before the panel began, the results of projects conducted with the support of the British Embassy were presented, which partially align with the fulfillment of activities from the Action Plan accompanying the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2015-2016 and the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Open Government Partnership Initiative 2014-2016. Therefore, the opening speech was given by the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Croatia, Andrew Stuart Dalgleish, who did not hide his satisfaction with the progress made towards more transparent governance in Croatia. The attendees were also addressed by Dubravka Jurlina Alibegović, Minister of Public Administration and Chair of the Open Government Partnership Initiative Council, and Judge Lidija Rostaš-Beroš from the High Administrative Court.

Powerful Tools for Citizens

The attendees were introduced to the applications List of Public Authorities and TOM – Search Engine for Decisions and Opinions of the Information Commissioner and the High Administrative Court, as well as the possibilities for searching them, educational-promotional materials – Handbook for Information Officers and Guide for Citizens, as well as the English version of the Information Commissioner’s website, aimed at bringing closer and clarifying the legal framework to potential users outside the Croatian-speaking area.

Information Commissioner Anamarija Musa thanked those present for their attendance, especially the British Embassy for the support they have provided since the establishment of the Commissioner’s institution, and emphasized that transparency and openness are integral parts of public administration and that addressing issues related to access to information can only be approached through joint cooperation of the public, private, and civil sectors, the academic community, media, interested citizens, and all other stakeholders. Therefore, she invites everyone to use the presented tools that can certainly contribute to a higher level of proactive disclosure, the elimination of administrative silence, the standardization of the application of the Law, and raising awareness of the existence of the right to access and reuse information.

Anonymization, Lobbying, Business Secrets…

An interesting panel discussion followed, featuring contributions from Prof. Dr. Josip Kregar from the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Polonca Kovač from the Faculty of Administration in Ljubljana, Jelena Berković from Gong, Toni Gabrić from H-alter, journalist Tomislav Klauški from 24 sata, Miroslav Schlossberg from the Code for Croatia association, and many other participants. The main highlights focused on the issue of anonymization of court decisions, which sparked an interesting discussion, and as possible steps towards a more transparent and open government and a better legal and implementation framework, the need for regulating lobbying, business secrets, and the question of public disclosure of the composition of working groups for drafting laws crystallized in the discussion.

A Guide on the Right to Access Information for Small and Medium Enterprises was also presented, translated and adapted by members of the Code for Croatia association, who administer the platform imamopravoznati.org, through which over 3000 requests for access to information have been sent to public authorities in the last 16 months – as stated in the report on the event published on the Commission’s website.