On December 22th of 2020, the much expected Law on the Right of Access to Public Sector Information of 2017 (184 (I) / 2017) finally came into force. Following the training of 118 officials nominated by the Public Authorities of Cyprus, the Public Sector is now ready to implement the new legislation, strengthening the cooperation ties between the Administration and the administrated.
The aim of this mechanism is the enhancement of the Principles of Transparency and Accountability in the Public and Wider Public Sector, which must be respected for the accessibility to the information held by the State. In fact, the new Law is expected to be a useful tool for physical and legal persons who wish to exercise control over the Administrative Authorities, as it establishes the right of citizens to request and receive, under certain conditions, information held by the Public Authorities, in order to control the Acts and Decisions of the Administration.
For the functioning of the new mechanism, a new Commissioner is introduced by the Law, called the Information Commissioner, who shall also be the respective Personal Data Protection Commissioner. His role is to supervise the proper implementation and operation of the system, according to the aforementioned legal principles.
Further details are included on the official website of the Data Commissioners Office at www.informationcommissioner.gov.cy
The present article is purely for informational purposes and does not, under any circumstances, constitute legal advice. For further information on the matter, please contact Arsen Theofanidis LLC and one of our legal consultants shall be glad to assist you.
N. Kalifatidou
Advocate – Legal Consultant
Arsen Theofanidis LLC