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Introductory session within the Third Public Policy School

By signing the School Attendance Contracts between the participants and Institute Alternative, the Third Generation of Public Policy School has commenced.

Introductory session with the participants of the Third Generation of Public Policy School was held on March 24th, 2014, at the premises of PR Center.

Out of 90 received applications, a three-party Commission elected the 20 best candidates that will participate in this year’s program. Presenting the idea behind the project, the program, and the results of its implementation so far, the School was opened by:

  • Mr Stevo Muk, President of the Managing Board of Institute Alternative (IA),
  • Mr Zlatko Vujović, President of the Managing Board of Centre for Research and Monitoring (CeMI).

The goal of the Public Policy School and the planned method of its realization were also discussed at the introductory session. Bearing in mind that the formal education system does not provide sufficient knowledge and skills in the area of policy studies, the main aim of this School is to contribute to their quality development through strengthening the capacities and knowledge of stakeholders on stages and actors of policy making cycle. In addition, the School offers an opportunity to strengthen communication and cooperation among participants from various sectors, institutions and organizations.

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Press Release: Enormous responsibility of the MPs in the Administrative Committee

Institute Alternative urges the Administrative Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro to properly enforce Law on Public Service Broadcasting in the area of appointment procedure of the new members of the RTCG Council. Possibly unlawful conduct of members of the Council and responsible Parliament of Montenegro officials opens the door to criminal charges for negligent performance of duty or abuse of power.

The Administrative Committee has a special duty to impede any political interference in the appointment procedure of members of the Council. The members of the Administrative Committee must prevent any attempt at altering the will of authorized nominators, NGOs and other relevant entities, and thus defend the independence of the Council and the idea of public service.

The Administrative Committee is obligated to uphold the arguments presented by more than a hundred non-governmental organizations during the previous days.

The way in which the Administrative Committee chooses to act in this procedure will be important for further development of relationship between the Parliament and non-governmental organizations, as well as the overall attitude of the state towards civil society, especially in the light of the commitments undertaken by Montenegro in the process of European integration and membership negotiations.

Stevo Muk
President of the Managing Board

Related posts:
Press release: Administrative Committee wants to nullify the will of NGOs

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Seminar ”Thinking 4 Governance”

Jovana Marović, research Coordinator at Institute Alternative, participated in the second seminar within the framework of the project “Thinking for Governance”, held in Bratislava on March 20-21, 2014. The project aims to exchange experiences between the Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) and civil society organizations from the Western Balkans on the role of these organizations in the negotiation process under Chapters 23 and 24. Non-governmental organizations and think-tanks from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia are working together on a publication that will provide recommendations for the improvement of judicial reform, fight against corruption, protection of human rights, as well as cooperation between civil society and government authorities in these countries. Key lessons learned in the process of European integrations of these countries thus far will be presented at the final seminar in Belgrade. Institute Alternative, along with Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) and Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), represents Montenegro in this project.

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Our engagement in working groups

Four representatives of IA are members of the working groups for preparation of bills and analytical documents of key importance for securing improvements in the field of administrative inspections, public procurement, internal police oversight and state audit.

Following research and analytical work and publication of our findings, we are actively working on advocating recommendations for achieving improvements within our program areas. With the aim of ensuring that as many of our recommendations become part of public policies, in accordance with the Procedure for Exercising Cooperation between State Administration Bodies and Nongovernmental Organizations (Official Gazette of Montenegro no. 7/12), and following a public call issued by the state authorities, we have demonstrated interest in contributing to the work of working groups whose mandate relates to the matters that are subject of our work.

Program area “Public Administration”, sub-area: Administrative Inspection:

  • For a member of the working group for drafting the Bill on Administrative Inspection has been appointed Stevo Muk, President of the Managing Board of IA;

Program area “Public Finance”, sub-area: Public Procurement:

  • For a member of the working group for developing risk analysis methodologies in exercising control with the aim of pro-active action in prevention and early detection of acts of corruption in public procurement has been appointed Jovana Marović, PhD, Research Coordinator at IA;

Program area “Public Finance”, sub-area: State Audit:

  • For a member of the working group for drafting Amendments to the Law on the State Audit Institution has been appointed Marko Sošić, Public Policy Researcher at IA;

Program area “Security and Defense”, sub-area: Internal Police Oversight:

  • For a member of the working group for preparation of an analysis containing an overview of implemented mechanisms of internal oversight, as well as available structures and administrative capacities of Police Administration, Department of Public Revenues and Customs Administration has been appointed Dina Bajramspahić, Public Policy Researcher at IA.

Institute Alternative was the only organization that applied at a public call for appointment of a representative from non-governmental sector. Additionally, IA has its representatives in the Working Group for Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights (Jovana Marović, PhD), and in the Working Group for Chapter 32 – Financial Control (Marko Sošić).

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Press release: Administrative Committee wants to nullify the will of NGOs

Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Center for Development of Non-Governmental Organizations (CRNVO), Institute Alternative (IA) and Center for Monitoring (CEMI) express serious concern about the work of the Administrative Committee, which has the responsibility of verifying documentation of the candidates for members of the RTCG Council. Bearing in mind that the governing structure is trying to render this process of its meaninglessness, we invite the interested public to closely monitor and influence it, in an attempt to ensure its lawful implementation.

Upon receiving applications from eligible candidates, the Administrative Committee has published on March 18, 2014, the so called List of Timely and Completed Applications of Candidates for Membership in the RTCG Council. Without any clear explanation and based on unknown and unlawful criteria, the number of letters of support for some candidates, mostly those proposed by the NGOs, was reduced. It is indicative that for the candidates Goran Đurović and Slavica Striković the letters of support from some of the leading critically-oriented Montenegrin NGOs were rejected as “untimely and incomplete” and that the letters of support from some northern and southern towns of Montenegro, associations of people with disabilities, etc, were not accepted as valid, even though they were submitted in the proper way and timely manner. In addition, minutes from this session of Administrative Committee are not publicly available. Consequently, it is not possible to know exactly which piece of information in the documentation of each candidate was missing or the manner in which the aforementioned list was determined, based on which the Administrative Committee rejected dozens of letters of support from NGOs of different profiles from throughout Montenegro and in that way discriminated vast number of NGOs, as well as candidates themselves.

In accordance with the Law on Free Access to Information, our representatives have since yesterday started gaining insight into an extensive documentation of all the candidates. On the basis of less than 30 percent of reviewed documentation, four of our representatives have already noticed numerous irregularities in the work of Administrative Committee. This further requires determining the accountability of the persons responsible for reviewing this documentation.

Based on the written above, CCE, CRNVO, IA and CEMI urge the Administrative Committee to nullify the list published yesterday, review the documentation again and, governed by the legal provisions and not by personal preferences, make the list of eligible candidates and rank them in a way prescribed by the law, namely, according to the number of received letters of support, bearing in mind that all other legal requirements are met as well.

Furthermore, CCE, CRNVO, IA and CEMI invite all nominated candidates to get actively involved in the process of verification of the documentation and thus contribute to the validity of this procedure. Nullifying the will of NGOs, introducing criteria based on someone’s party or familiar ties, violation of the law by the Parliament through introduction of double standards for documentation verification or incomprehensible „dilemma“ if „it is possible to eliminate a candidate because of bureaucratic procedure or verification of the application”, as well as public display on prejudice towards certain candidates by the members of the Administrative Board – represent concrete illegal actions and dangerous political messages that are in a complete contrast with the commitment of the government to establish a system of rule of law, especially when they come from the Parliament itself.

Centre for Civic Education (CCE)

Center for Development of Non-Governmental Organizations (CRNVO)

Institute Alternative (IA)

Center for Monitoring (CEMI)

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Press release: Administrative Committee wants to nullify the will of NGOs

Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Center for Development of Non-Governmental Organizations (CRNVO), Institute Alternative (IA) and Center for Monitoring (CEMI) express serious concern about the work of the Administrative Committee, which has the responsibility of verifying documentation of the candidates for members of the RTCG Council. Bearing in mind that the governing structure is trying to render this process of its meaninglessness, we invite the interested public to closely monitor and influence it, in an attempt to ensure its lawful implementation.

Upon receiving applications from eligible candidates, the Administrative Committee has published on March 18, 2014, the so called List of Timely and Completed Applications of Candidates for Membership in the RTCG Council. Without any clear explanation and based on unknown and unlawful criteria, the number of letters of support for some candidates, mostly those proposed by the NGOs, was reduced. It is indicative that for the candidates Goran Đurović and Slavica Striković the letters of support from some of the leading critically-oriented Montenegrin NGOs were rejected as “untimely and incomplete” and that the letters of support from some northern and southern towns of Montenegro, associations of people with disabilities, etc, were not accepted as valid, even though they were submitted in the proper way and timely manner. In addition, minutes from this session of Administrative Committee are not publicly available. Consequently, it is not possible to know exactly which piece of information in the documentation of each candidate was missing or the manner in which the aforementioned list was determined, based on which the Administrative Committee rejected dozens of letters of support from NGOs of different profiles from throughout Montenegro and in that way discriminated vast number of NGOs, as well as candidates themselves.

In accordance with the Law on Free Access to Information, our representatives have since yesterday started gaining insight into an extensive documentation of all the candidates. On the basis of less than 30 percent of reviewed documentation, four of our representatives have already noticed numerous irregularities in the work of Administrative Committee. This further requires determining the accountability of the persons responsible for reviewing this documentation.

Based on the written above, CCE, CRNVO, IA and CEMI urge the Administrative Committee to nullify the list published yesterday, review the documentation again and, governed by the legal provisions and not by personal preferences, make the list of eligible candidates and rank them in a way prescribed by the law, namely, according to the number of received letters of support, bearing in mind that all other legal requirements are met as well.

Furthermore, CCE, CRNVO, IA and CEMI invite all nominated candidates to get actively involved in the process of verification of the documentation and thus contribute to the validity of this procedure. Nullifying the will of NGOs, introducing criteria based on someone’s party or familiar ties, violation of the law by the Parliament through introduction of double standards for documentation verification or incomprehensible „dilemma“ if „it is possible to eliminate a candidate because of bureaucratic procedure or verification of the application”, as well as public display on prejudice towards certain candidates by the members of the Administrative Board – represent concrete illegal actions and dangerous political messages that are in a complete contrast with the commitment of the government to establish a system of rule of law, especially when they come from the Parliament itself.

Centre for Civic Education (CCE)

Center for Development of Non-Governmental Organizations (CRNVO)

Institute Alternative (IA)

Center for Monitoring (CEMI)

CGO CCE