VILNIUS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite called on state authorities on Monday to make their data available to media and greater society, stating that limiting the media's access to information of State Enterprise Centre of Registers was a "disproportionate" action.
"Artificial constraints as regards media (access to the data) are ungrounded and disproportionate, also not in line with global trends," Grybauskaite was quoted as saying in her statement.
She called on the government to establish a "free of charge and openly accessible data portal".
In September, the center suspended its long-standing practice of providing media with requested data free of charge. Saulius Urbanavicius, the center's newly appointed director, explained there was no legal basis for such a provision of information.
Last week, public outrage was sparked by the Lithuanian government's decision to reject amendments to the Law on the Provision of Information to the Public that would have enabled media to access the center's data.
In response, a large group of media representatives appealed to the state authorities, claiming that the decision to suspend the media's free access to the data posed a threat to media freedom.
Meanwhile, the Lithuanian government and the Centre of Registers announced on Monday that data will be opened to media later this week after the government adopts a corresponding temporary decision.
"All necessary decisions will be taken this Wednesday," Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said in statement released by his office.
Last week, the head of government stressed that safeguards had to be put in place that would prevent people or companies from receiving data free of charge by simply claiming to be the media.
"I have in mind businesses and groups of companies, certain media enterprises," Skvernelis added, without elaborating on concrete details.
The Centre of Registers administrates five of Lithuania's main state registers, such as Real Property Register, the Register of Legal Entities, the Address Register, the Population Register, and the Mortgage Register.
