PR:Will RAWRA stop to censor information?

=> CZECH version of this press release

Press Release dated May 12, 2016 http://www.calla.cz/index.php?path=hl_stranka/tiskovky/2016&php=tz160512.php

Will RAWRA stop to censor information?
'''ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE - On the basis of appeal by Calla - Association for Preservation of the Environment, The Prague Municipal Court annulled the decision of the Director of Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA/SÚRAO) which restricted the disclosure of certain requested documents under The Right to Information Act in 2012. Specifically, the minutes of the meetings of the RAWRA Board and the Report on monitoring the creation of reserves for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities in 2011, respectively 2012, that were made available to Calla in censored form only.'''

The Court confirmed to Calla that RAWRA did not provide such reasons that would entitle it to conceal part of the requested documents. Thus the RAWRA Director will be able to stop concealing information on the occasion of the new decision or he will have to find a much better justification for censorship that would be regarded as reasonable by judicial review.

The public should receive information whether financial reserves which ČEZ saves for the future decommissioning of its nuclear power plants, are in the required amount and manner. Otherwise the tens of billions of Czech crowns would have to be paid by taxpayers in the future.

Also, the minutes of the meetings of the RAWRA Board, which should serve as the public authority control over RAWRA and should supervise the economy of spending funds from the state nuclear waste management fund, should be accessible as well. As demonstrated by the example of recent developments in the case of the Underground research facility Bukov, the decision to invest (in today's amount) 94 million of crowns in the construction in contradiction with the government's "The Concept of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel Management in the Czech Republic" has not been made by the government, but by the RAWRA Board in early 2013. The initial investment will then give rise to other requirements - public funds invested in the construction, operation and research in the Underground research facility by 2030 which according to RAWRA should amount to nearly 1,8 billion crowns.

Edvard Sequens of Calla said: "RAWRA highlights the openness of their actions in recent years, we therefore assume that we will finally obtain the documents. Just that these will be somewhat outdated after those four years that the pursuit of judicial redress had lasted."

 Further information can be provided by: 
 * Ing. Edvard Sequens, Calla, email: [mailto:edvardDOTsequensATcallaDOTcz edvard DOT sequens AT calla DOT cz], tel.: +420 602 282 399
 * Mgr. Pavel Doucha, Doucha Šikola advokáti s.r.o. – právní zástupce Cally v tomto sporu, email: [mailto:douchaATdsadvokatiDOTcz doucha AT dsadvokati DOT cz], tel.: +420 608 873 437

Annex:
 * Judgment of the Municipal Court in Prague on May 10, 2016
 * Excerpt from the provided minutes of the 73rd meeting of the RAWRA Board

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[[Category: Legal Issues