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Commissioner or Ombudsman. Nataša Pirc Musar, Information Commissioner Slovenia. Access to Public Information. 3 systems (regarding appeals): Courts (before that higher agencies - Croatia, Slovakia, Israel, Lithuania) Commissioners or Commissions - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Manchester, 23rd of May, 2006
Commissioner or Ombudsman
Nataša Pirc Musar,
Information Commissioner
Slovenia
• 3 systems (regarding appeals):
– Courts (before that higher agencies - Croatia, Slovakia, Israel, Lithuania)
– Commissioners or Commissions• Data Protection Authorities (Estonia, Latvia)
– Ombudsman (or courts)• Only possible where FOI is a constitutional right
Access to Public Information
Commissioner or OmbudsmanCommissioner or Commission:
Ireland France
Mexico Portugal
Canada Belgium
Germany Thailand
UK India
Serbia
Slovenia
Ombudsman:
Sweden
Norway
Bosnia&Herzegovina
New Zealand
EU
Spain
Hungary (specialised)
Commissioner or OmbudsmanCompetencies of both / Slovenian model
• Autonomous, independent state body• head of body elected in the Parliament• budget determined by the Parliament
• constitutional court review
• unrestricted access to all documents• can call anybody for a witness• access to all premises of state bodies
Commissioner or Ombudsman-minusesCommissioner or Commission:• Can be sued by public bodies in courts• can not start the procedure on its own initiative (only based on the appeal)
Ombudsman:• “Toothless Tiger”• complaints by natural persons only• no binding powers, only opinions and recommendations• informal procedure
Commissioner or Ombudsman-plusesCommissioner or Commission:• binding deceisions (penalties)• wider jurisdiction • complaints by legal and natural persons• inspection competencies (hiding documents)• can deal with the case even when in progress• formal procedure
Ombudsman:• beside annual report also special reports• can start the procedure on its own initiative• can give initiative to change the law or executive regulation• can suggest disciplinary proceeding
• Does it matter who has the appeal powers and how strong they are?
• YES AND NO (Pragmatical answer)• It depends on:
– Mentality of people (are they used to secrecy or they “have guts” to ask)
– Mentality of public officials – Level of democracy in the country (length and
tradition play role)
Access to Public Information
• Does it matter how well Freedom of Information is implemented in the legal system of each country?
• DEFINITELY YES • It depends on:
– Whether FOI is in Constitution– Whether country has FOIA– Number of exceptions (type of exceptions)– Public Interest Test
Access to Public Information
Commissioner or Ombudsman
Commissioner or Ombudsman
• Is there a correlation between transparency and corruption?
• YES• More transparent the country, less
corruption
• Corruption Index 2005
Access to Public Information
1. Island
2. New Zealand
2. Finland
4. Denmark
5. Singapore
6. Sweden
7. Switzerland
8. Norway
9. Australia
10. Austria
Source: http://www.transparency.org
11. UK
11. Holland
13. Luxembourg
14. Canada
15. Hong Kong
16. Germany
17. USA
18. France
19. Ireland
19. Belgium
Source: http://www.transparency.org
32. Botswana
32. Qatar
32. Taiwan
32. Uruguay
36. Bahrain
37. Cyprus
37. Jordan
39. Malaysia
40. Hungary
40. Italy
40. South Korea
21. Chile
21. Japan
23. Spain
24. Barbados
25. Malta
26. Portugal
27. Estonia
28. Israel
28. Oman
30. UA Emirates
31. Slovenia
Source: http://www.transparency.org
44. Lithuania
47. Czech Rep.
47. Greece
47. Slovakia
51. Latvia
55. Bulgaria
65. Mexico
70. Poland
70. Croatia
85. Romania
107. Belarus
149. Pakistan
150. Sudan
151. Angola
152. Ivory Coast
152. Equ. Guinea
152. Nigeria
155. Haiti
155. Myanmar
155. Turkmenistan
158. Bangladesh
158. Chad
Access to public information and corruption
– Though FOI is not enough to fight corruption– But it can be a tool
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz on April 11, 2006 puts "the media and freedom of information" at the heart of his anti-corruption agenda.
www.ic-rs.si
Thank you for your attention!