Madrid, 26 September 2013 – Access Info Europe today published an open letter calling upon the Montenegin authorities to provide full access to the national company register, and other registers without delay, after learning that it will be closed from public access on the grounds of data privacy.
Access Info argues that EU data protection rules do not require the register to be inaccessible to the public. Indeed disclosure of such information is essential in any modern democratic society. Montenegro cannot ignore the trend in Europe and elsewhere towards publishing more of this kind of information, as well as the recognition of company registers as a “high-value data set” in the G8 Open Data Charter, signed by the United States, the UK, Germany and others.
The letter reiterates the importance in keeping the Montenegrin company register open as a sign of Montenegro’s commitment to upholding European and international transparency standards on top of its duty to recognise access to information as a fundamental human right, as upheld by the European Court of Human Rights.
You can read the open letter (in english) here
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