President of the Republic of Slovenia on the right to access public information

Brdo pri Kranju, 29.9.2008  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, today addressed the 3rd European Conference of Information Commissioners and Human Rights Ombudsmen, currently taking place at Brdo pri Kranju. In his address Dr Türk stressed that information has always been important for people, their existence and social status. Information is even more important in the modern world – it represents power, a means to pursue interests, a foundation for the protection of the rights of individuals, and the possibility of calling holders of executive power to account. Dr Türk said that acquired information enables individuals to understand and assess reasons for decision-making, to form and express their own opinions, and helps the media to inform the public objectively and responsibly on important aspects of exercising public power.

“Restricting access to information available to holders of executive power also means restricting individuals and the media in their active functioning in a modern state and modern society. Such restriction can lead to irresponsible and arbitrary use of power and restriction of the freedom of expression,” stressed President Türk. He went on to add that access to public information, however, cannot be entirely unrestricted; it can indeed be restricted by the fundamental rights of individuals and by justified public interest, which again must not be understood so as to thwart the possibility of holders of executive power to be called to account. Dr Türk also highlighted the importance of further development of the legal framework enabling this right at the international level, and hailed the endeavours of the Council of Europe to draft a European convention on access to official documents. Its importance, according to President Türk, lies in particular in establishing a sufficiently high standard and equality of rights of individuals in all countries – signatories to the convention.