Info Transparency Could do Better
The study was conducted by the freedom of information NGO Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy, which looked at seven sets of indicators: right of access, scope, requesting procedures, exceptions and refusals, appeals, sanctions and protections, and promotional measures.
Slovenia scored 130 out of the maximum of 150 points, behind only Serbia, whose legislation on freedom of information is modelled on Slovenia's. Austria and Greece were at the bottom of the league, with 39 and 50 points respectively.
But Information Commissioner Natasa Pirc Musar has warned in a statement that the Slovenian authorities were not fully implementing the law. "Slovenia places second...but it should be noted that good legislation is no guarantee of transparency if it is not implemented in practice," she said.
Pirc Musar pointed to the statistics on administrative silence (when a request is left unanswered) showing that the Information Commissioner received 361 complaints regarding administrative silence in 2010, 59 more than in 2009 and over 100 more than in 2008.
Slovenia has made great strides, but in practice access to crucial information on matters of public interest remain inaccessible. "The attitude that documents are the property of the authorities, not the taxpayers, is still too common," she said.
However, she was quick to point out that major violations of freedom of information were found in all countries, meaning that in the "offenders' club", Slovenia places among countries that are not the biggest offenders.