However, full implementation is lacking, the courts are slow to respond to appeals due to persistent backlogs in the judicial system.
[3] Even when the appeals process work, the institutions appear willing to ignore the rulings of the court when it comes to transparency and access to public information.
[4] Public institutions have to respond to citizens' requests within seven days with their decision to fully or partially grant the access.
[4] According to the 2016 European Commission Progress Report, in practice the right of access to public information is “undermined by the authorities’ fragmented and unclear approach”.
[6] Moreover, according to the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) the realization of the right is hindered by a secretive mentality and culture of many public authorities in the country.
For instance, there are numerous institutions requiring the payment of 1 euro when filling a freedom of information request, which is in contradiction with the law.
[8] To test and monitor the implementation of the law, BIRN has submitted a series of requests for information to the majority of public institutions, at all levels, in Kosovo.
[7] During the same monitoring period, one of the major problems observed by BIRN concerned access to courts information, in particular indictments.