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Seminar on public procurement for Parliamentary Service

We organized a seminar on public procurement for sixteen representatives of Parliamentary Staff, on 26-27 April in Miločer. The seminar is one of the activities foreseen under the project “Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Procurement System”, which is supported by the Democracy Commission Small Grants U.S. Embassy in Montenegro.

Through an intensive two-day training, participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the institutional and legal framework for public procurement, as well as the progress of negotiations in Chapter 5 relating to this area. The speakers were representatives of the Directorate of Public Procurement, State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement, Ministry of Finance, the Inspection Directorate, State Audit Institution and Institute Alternative.

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Press release: Better public procurement oversight by strengthening the Parliament

The Parliament has an important role in controlling government’s spending and procurement, and should have the capacity to verify key information about the funds allocated to consumer units, but also regarding effective and efficient of these resources.

The role of the Parliament of Montenegro in the control of the public procurement system remains limited. This practice is largely conditioned by the existing normative solutions that do not recognize the importance of parliamentary oversight of the reports of the key institutions that have the responsibility of management and control of public procurement procedures (except the report of the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement). However, even on the basis of the existing competencies, the parliament could become a more active participant in this segment of controlling the executive.

Our project “Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight of Public Procurement System”, which is supported by the Democracy Commission Small Grants U.S. Embassy in Montenegro, aims to strengthen the capacity of the Parliament to actively monitor and control the public procurement system. Also, one of the objectives of the project includes creating a compilation of all relevant information on public procurement through the creation of a parliamentary guide that will facilitate the monitoring and control of these areas by the Committee for Economy, Finance and Budget, and the Committee on anti-corruption, as well as other committees overseeing Ministries and budgetary units.

Striving to strengthening the capacity of Parliament, we will organize a seminar for the Parliamentary Staff. Through an intensive two-day training, participants will be able to get acquainted with the institutional and legal framework for public procurement, as well as the progress of negotiations in Chapter 5 relating to this area. The speakers will be representatives of the Directorate of Public Procurement, State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement, Ministry of Finance, the Inspection Directorate and the State Audit Institution.

Jovana Marović
Research Coordinator

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Zoran Stojiljković’s lecture

On Monday, April 22, at 18 o’clock, has been held the second block class of the Public Policy school. Class was dedicated to the anti-corruption policies as an example of sector policies, which was explained by professor Zoran Stojiljkovic.

The topic (keyword):

In order to develop a comprehensive research model, the prior attempt is to detect the corruption’s nature by linking the complex maps analysis of its manifestations, type and stakeholders with insight into its motivations and broader systemic and cultural causes.

Consequently, the core of any anti-corruption strategy can be seen in the creation of space and chances for defining corruption as unacceptable, unprofitable, followed by the practice of reducing monopoly and discretionary powers with a corresponding increase of moral, political and criminal responsibility.

Two hours long lecture was held at the PR Center in Podgorica.

Short biography of the speaker:

Professor Zoran Stojiljkovic got his PhD at the Belgrade’s Faculty of Political Sciences in 2006, with thesis: “Political Parties and Party Systems in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.” His most important published books are: “The party system of Serbia”, “The Role of Trade Unions in Transition” and “Democracy’s Dictionary.” He has published numerous collections of articles.

At the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade he is engaged in courses: Political sociology and Sociology of contemporary society. He is is also a guest professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Podgorica on subjects: Public policy, Comparative party systems, Electoral and party systems, etc.

He has participated in many research projects, among which are: The political organization of the FRY How to survive the transition – public opinion in Serbia, Fragmentation of unions and the ability of common activities, The electoral choice of the citizens of Serbia, Problems of the political system democratization ; etc..

He is a board member of the Anti – Corruption Agency Serbia.

The Public Policy school project is supported by the Commission for the allocation of gambling revenue and managed by Institute alternative in collaboration with the Centre for Research and Monitoring (CEMI).

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IA’s representative at the ReSPA conference

Milena Milošević, our public policy researcher, took part at the seventh annual conference of the Regional School for Public Administration, ReSPA.

How to improve more efficient making, implementation and evaluation of public policies was the main topic of this year’s conference, which was held on April 18 and 19.

Around twenty experts from the region and abroad spoke at the conference.

Institute Alternative, IA, was among the few civil society representatives at the conference and the only Montenegrin non-governmental organization whose representative took part in the event.

“The topic of this year’s conference was chosen since policy making is one of the fundamental phases of the policy cycle and becauseof the great need for policy making to improve in all its cycles“, organizers stated.

Speakers and participants also focused on potential ways of increasing the inclusion of civil society organizations into the making, implementation and evaluation of public policies – an aim to which the IA has been devoted since its establishment in 2007.

ReSPA is an international organization, based in Danilovgrad, which has been entrusted with the mission of boosting regional cooperation in the field of public administration in the Western Balkans.

Initiative for its establishment was launched in Thessaloniki in 2003, at the joint summit of the EU and Western Balkan countries.

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Stevo Muk in the political talkshow “From my point of view”

Stevo Muk, IA’s president of the Managing Board, took part in the political talkshow “From my viewpoint” hosted by Tina Raičević on Television Vijesti. Announced civic protests and events surrounding the recently held presidential elections were the topic of the show. Other guest were Miodrag Lekić, independent presidential candidate, Predrag Sekulić, an MP from the ruling DPS, and Balša Brković, writer.

Watch the whole programme here:

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Measures of secret surveillance in the 2012 Human Rights Report

The State Department’s 2012 Human Rights Report for Montenegro quotes the findings of our policy briefs “National Security Agency and Secret Surveillance Measures – Is there any control?” and ”Secret Surveillance Measures in Criminal Procedure – Neglected Control” on the number of persons who were subjected to these measeures and data collection, as well as on the questionable legal framework in the criminal procedure. The quotation is a part of the section entitled Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence.