Source: Danas

Serbia repeats poor score and low rating in global corruption list

Personal Opinion

Recently, some ten days before the publication of the Global Corruption Perception Index (CPI), probably the most relevant corruption ranking list in the world published by the anti-corruption network of non-governmental organization Transparency International simultaneously in more than 180 countries from all continents, I ventured to publicly forecast our country's ranking in this year's index. 

Source: Blic

All ministries that are large budget beneficiaries recently received an interesting initiative. It was submitted by 10 civil society associations from nine cities and towns in Serbia and its title - “Line 481” - was rather unusual, at first glace at least. This title was derived from a classification item in the Budget of the Republic of Serbia: “481 - Grants to Non-governmental Organizations”. What is interesting about this initiative is that it concerns a budget item which in 2007 “covered” more than five billion Serbian dinars, or about 65 million euros. Another interesting aspect of it is that significantly alters the usual views of many because it shows that a large portion of “grants to NGOs” is actually allocated to entities that are commonly “recognized” as NGOs. About 40 per cent of these donations were for political parties, religious communities and institutions.

Source: Danas

OUR STORY: The Security Information Agency answered a question of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights after three years. A document with such content is not envisaged by secondary legislation which provide for the work of the SIA, says the communication. 

Source: Danas

The Commissioner for Information expects that the Government will adopt the Ombudsman's proposals after the debate in the Parliament about the Law on Personal Data Protection.

Belgrade - The Serbian Government and the ruling coalition in the National Assembly are running out of time to decide whether they will adopt 15 amendments to the Bill on Personal Data Protection submitted by Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic.

Source: Politika

It is envisaged by the Data Classification Bill that only persons who underwent security check of the Security Information Agency will be able to use secret information. Order could finally be introduced in the area of information which the state proclaims a secret by the Data Classification Bill submitted to the Serbian Assembly, taking into account that it is at the moment regulated by a whole “forest“ of legal provisions which results in inadequate protection of such information. It can be concluded by simple adding up of these regulations that the work of government bodies, public services, military and the police, as well as of public enterprises and institutions is often unnecessarily covered by a veil of secrecy. The Bill, in development of which Commissioner for Information of Public Importance Rodoljub `abi also participated, was supported by as many as 35,870 signatures of Serbian citizens. 

Source: Blic

Comments 
Rodoljub Sabic, Trustee for information

It seems that the turmoil initiated by the public criticism directed by the Trustee for information against Article 45 of the Bill on Protection of Public Information and which continued in the Parliament over the amendment submitted by the Ombudsman taking the side of the trustee, will be finalized by a "compromise". It would be indisputably good if it was not of the nature most common among us - that is a rotten compromise. Certainly, it is very good that the Government quitted the solution which gave the repressive bodies free hands to do without any risqué the data processing, and to dispose of any trial of the Trustee to intervene with the mere invention of security reasons, and that for the whole matter at least the opinion of another body is necessary now - the opinion of the President of the Supreme court.