Uluslararası Düzenlemeler Çerçevesinde Arnavutluk’ta Bilgi Edinme Hakkı Uygulamalarına Dönük Koşulların Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

The right to information is one of the fundamental rights of Albanian citizens recognized by the Constitution of Albania. The most up-to-date law regarding the Right to Information in the Constitution of Albania is the 119/2014 law, which entered into force as of 18/09/2014. The right to information is one of the basic needs of democracy and is given to everyone without discrimination. The right to information is essential in a democracy as it maintains transparency and accountability in a state and thus supports one of the goals of democracy. Other human rights laws, such as the protection of personal data, legally limit this right. This research aimed to analyze the right to information in Albania, to analyze its application in local institutions and to reveal the problems and propose solutions through the opinions of the coordinators of the right to information. In this study, the situation of the right to information in Albania and the views of the right-to-information coordinators were examined. Fifty information coordinators participated in this research on the problems encountered in the right-to-information law and its implementation. The questionnaire was sent to the coordinators via e-mail, and the data collected from this questionnaire were examined. The coordinators were asked about their opinions and experiences regarding their role and the implementation activities of the information law in the institution they work for. The collected data were processed as standard deviation, chi-square values, arithmetic mean, and percentage and presented in tabular form. Based on the collected data results, the hypothesis that although Albania’s legal regulation is in accordance with international law, there are still problems in implementing the law on the right to information was confirmed. Right-to-information coordinators need more proper training on their roles. The law needs to be amended to raise awareness of this right and to improve the conditions for its more appropriate implementation by public authorities. Problems are encountered in the process of obtaining information in Albania due to the lack of an effective system and coordination regarding the process in the country. Equally important is the lack of training of coordinators and the inability to identify audit processes.