The Parliament has passed a new rule allowing government offices to charge fees for large public information requests. Proposed by members of the SNS party, the change aims to reduce the burden from frequent or excessive requests. Offices must notify requesters of any fees within five working days and explain how the costs were calculated. Applicants may appeal the fee, which will be reviewed by another authority.
The amendment, based on a similar approach in the Czech Republic, also extends the response time for requests from eight to 12 working days, allowing more time for processing. Supporters say this will help officials handle requests better, while critics argue it makes accessing information more difficult.
Opposition party PS MP Lucia Plaváková has asked President Pellegrini to veto the change, saying it has legal and constitutional problems. MP Veronika Remišová (Za ľudí) also opposes the law, expressing concern that some ministries already struggle to follow current rules. The law is set to take effect on March 1 next year.
Source: STVR
