The Culture and Information Committee held its seventeenth sitting on 27 October, chaired by Vesna Marjanovic, Committee Chairperson. The sitting was attended by Rodoljub Sabic, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and representatives of the Ministry of Culture.

A discussion on the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance was on the agenda.

On the behalf of the submitters, the representatives of the Ministry of Culture stated that the proposed amendments and modifications had been made to facilitate the implementation of the Law and ensure the citizens a quicker and simpler access to requested information. They stressed that the transference of supervision over the implementation of the Law from the Ministry of Culture to the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government is a crucial modification and proposed a six-month deadline for it from the day the law is passed.

Taking part in the discussion, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance Rodoljub Sabic was of the opinion that the envisaged deadline could be much shorter. The representatives of the Ministry of Culture said that it cannot be shorter since the Ministry of Public Administration and local Self-Government lacks the organisational capacity to undertake the task before the stated deadline.

The Culture and Information Committee accepted the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, in principle.