September 2013

Could Croatia become famous by its Information Commisioner?

„It would be wonderful if Croatia became famous for having a good strong Commissioner who is being effective in promoting transparency“ – these are the words of Helen Darbishire and it is hard not to wish the same, especially on this day 28 September the „International Right to Know Day“. Passionate about the role of…

Information Commissioner – in limbo

Towards the election of the Information Commissioner, the full implementation of the new Act on right to access information and continuously raising the bar of transparency, GONG is organizing a conference titled “Commissioner – in limbo”. Conference will take place at Croatian Parliament on September 30th 2013, starting at 9:30 am. How to insure and…

International Right to Know Day observed

epa03642358 A Chinese technician debugs a row of video surveillance cameras for pubilc safety which are assembled on a pole in the Qingdao city, eastern China's Shandong province, 27 March 2013. China's public safety budget reaches at 128.989 billion yuan (Euros 16.227 billion) in 2013, up some nine per cent compared to last year, according to the Ministry of Finance. EPA/WU HONG

According to information from the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency, 2.582 government bodies submitted their reports in 2012 concerning the implementation on the law on the right to information access, which is significantly higher than in 2010, for example, when only 854 bodies did so, the agency reported on Monday on the occasion of International…

New education, science and technology strategy

Zagreb, 16.09.2013 - Konferencija za novinare u Banskim dvorima na kojoj je predstavljena Strategije obrazovanja, znanosti i tehnologije. Na slici posebni savjetnik predsjednika Vlade za znanost prof. Neven Budak predsatvio je strategiju. foto FaH/ Denis CERIĆ /ds

Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and Minister of Science, Education and Sports Zeljko Jovanovic on Monday announced a new education, science and technology strategy that should come into force in 2018 and which, as they said, would be founded on the idea of creating a society of equal opportunities based on know-how, where education and science…

Can democracy exist without trust? – looking for magic bullet

epa03702925 South African Rene Lion-Cachet is silhouetted at daybreak against a cloudy sky as a wild pigeon lands on his hand on a beachside bench in Cape Town, South Africa, 16 May 2013. Rene has been feeding the birds every morning for over four years and has built up a trusting relationship to the point where the birds eat pieces of rusk straight from his mouth. The birds recognise him as he arrives at the beach and land on him for their morning meal. EPA/NIC BOTHMA

In 2007 the United Nations General Assembly resolved to observe 15 September as the International Day of Democracy — with the purpose of promoting and upholding the principles of democracy — and invited all member states and organizations to commemorate the day in an appropriate manner that contributes to raising public awareness. Today on 15 September 2013 we use this occsasion…

“EU transparency: Where are we now?”

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The International Right to Know Day was established in 2003 by access to information advocates from around the world. Given that there will be a new European Parliament and a new Commission in 2014, and given that his own mandate is coming to an end, the European Ombudsman is keen to examine how much progress…