To implement this constitutional right, the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia in January 2006 adopted the Law on Free Access to Public Information defining the procedures for exercising this right.
[2] According to a research carried out by the Centre for Law and Democracy, Macedonia is in the high 14th place on the world ranking list of states having the most functional law on free access to public information, despite the fact that this right has been introduced into Macedonian legal system in a relatively recent period.
[5] Access to information can be refused if it threatens national or public security; the economy; the environment; commercial or private legitimate interests; monetary and exchange policies; or if interferes with the prevention of criminal offences.
The first complaint is to the Commission for Protection of the Right to Free Access to Public Information; in case the applicant is not satisfied with the decision, he/she can launch a judicial review.
[5] Despite the good legal framework, the implementation of the Law on Free Access to Public Information remains ineffective.
[3] According to Freedom House, the law is unevenly and selectively enforced, with official denying responses and shunning independent or critical media outlets.
[6] To monitor and test the implementation of the law, in 2012 the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) submitted 145 requests for free access to information of public interest to a number of state institutions.