In our society, we have a problem with misunderstanding and misinterpretation of independent institutions, as the instruments which should help the National Parliament and it also seems that MPs don’t understand how important mechanism they have available, said Commissioner for Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic at the forum “Independent and regulatory bodies – why they have to be independent?”, organized by Business Info Group She stressed that this was also evidenced by the fact that the MPs did not discuss report of the institution of Commissioner for Protection of Equality, except from the Committee in charge, which is why there is not enough attention paid by the public and therefore the influence and role of the Commissioner is reduced.

Speaking about amendments to the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, she said that it has been processed for two years, and that the European Commission and the Council of Europe Commission against Racism and Intolerance advocated greater powers of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality.

When asked about the persons who should be at the helm of independent bodies, Jankovic stressed that it would be good that we achieved such level of democracy and political culture, not to contest candidates for certain functions only because they were proposed by another political option, but nevertheless, the integrity of the institution certainly largely depends on the person that is at the leading position.

Other speakers at the forum were also Rodoljub Sabic, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, Milos Jankovic, the former deputy of the Ombudsman for the Protection of the Rights of Persons Deprived of Freedom, and Bozo Draskovic, a former member of the Anti-Corruption Agency Committee.