Responsible citizens
Since 1993 VIA IURIS advocates wider access to information and public participation of citizens. We do so by litigation in specific cases and by legislative proposals.
- Access to informationa and transparency of decision-making of public authorities
- Broad public participation in decision-making and access to courts
- Assistance to those who are intimidated for defending the public interest
VIA IURIS has been supporting the engagement of citizens in public interest decision-making for a long time. We believe that progressive society requires citizens to engage actively in the administration of public affairs and express their opinion more regularly than during elections. First of all, public administration in our country is not ready to function effectively without a public control. Moreover it helps to move society forward when citizens present their opinions concerning administration of public affairs. To this effect however, citizens need tools to promote their opinions.
The effective tools, corresponding also with the scope of this topic, are: citizens must have access to decisions of public authorities; they must have a possibility to effectively influence decision-making and a possibility to challenge unlawful decision at the court. In addition citizens can't be punished for expressing their opinions and for participating in decision-making.
In this topic VIA IURIS monitors legislation (report in English), its application and promotes positive changes. In 2010 the categories of public, which can participate in decision-making with the largest impact on the health and environment (legislative proposal and opinion are available in Slovak). From May 2010 participants in mentioned proceedings can also be natural and legal persons and citizens' initiatives, next to environmental organizations. This success can be attributed also to our long-lasting efforts.
Recently we have prepared an amendment to Construction Code (in Slovak), which strengthens the access of public to information. We have elaborated legislative theses (in Slovak) broadening public access to court review concerning environment matters. In both legislative initiatives our experts cooperate with the Ministry of Justice. Additionally in our work we draw attention to the lack of harmonization of national law with the law of the European Union by submissions to the European Commission (example I., example II. in Slovak).
VIA IURIS communicates outcomes, issues and legal means available within this topic to the wide public. Media presentations, educational films and section First Legal Aid of this web page are intended for the public use. We have also published legal manuals for citizens and organized series of trainings called Legal Exchange Forums especially for activists and non-governmental organizations. We award the civil courage, which often brings personal risks, by the White Crow Award granted in cooperation with our partners from the Fair-Play Alliance.
Lawyers cooperating with VIA IURIS, represent citizens in cases before public authorities and courts. We focus on cases of precedential value with a potential to impact other similar cases. Advocates also represent cases before the Slovak Constitutional Court and international institutions, such as the European Court of Human Rights or the Court of Justice of European Union.
Some of our important cases are:
- Access to information at the municipal level: at the end of the long battle local residents received minutes from the meeting of the town council in the town Hlohovec concerning the municipal budget; and in the town Jazernica information concerning municipal expenditures; we defended the right of citizens in Považská Bystrica to take pictures of the town council members during voting
- Participation in the proceedings with impact on health and quality of life: more than 3000 participants joined the decision-making in the case of the Power plant in Trebišov; residents of Ružomberok participated in the proceedings concerning enlargement of paper production giant Mondi; we have defended rights of residents in Prešov, Považská Bystrica and Žiar nad Hronom in decision-making concerning motor-ways directly effecting their lives and property; we have also defended rights of residents in Slatinka and Ďubákovo who were threatened with forced evictions in connection with water dams planned during the socialism
- Freedom of speech: we have defended a local self-government representative who was accused for an article concerning a suspicious transfer of municipal property; as well as a journalist accused by the former Minister of Economy for a TV program about suspicious financial flows during the construction of Kia-Hyundai factory; thirdly we have represented an activist whose employment contract at the government institution has been illegally terminated likely due to his public engagement
