Brno, July 18 (CTK) – The Czech CEZ power energy firm, which in which the state has a majority stake, succeeded at the Constitutional Court (US) with its complaint against lower courts’ decision ruling that it must react to requests made according to the law on free access to information today.
The US abolished the previous verdicts, saying they breached the basic right to fundamental protection and the right to own property and do business.
CEZ has been locked in a long-lasting dispute with the civic association called “Within the emergency zone of the Temelin nuclear power plant,” to which it did not give information required.
The activists asked in 2006 for the complete passports of the specific type of fuel from Westinghouse and analyses of its suitability for the plant in Temelin, south Bohemia, but CEZ did nto comply with the request.
The case was treated by the Municipal Court in Prague and the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) also made a decision on it. It said CEZ must not avoid providing information, but it need not comply with requests in all cases, for instance, because of business secret.
The NSS said CEZ had to provide the information, or to duly justify why an exemption from the information duty applies to it, for instance, the above cited business secret protection.
CEZ reacted saying the information duty disadvantages it in relation to the competitors on the energy market.
The US abolished both courts’ verdicts today.
CEZ was established by the decision of the state that still controls it.
ms/dr
