Meeting with representatives of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption

Our public policy researchers, Dina Bajramspahić and Ana Đurnić, held a meeting today with members of the Council of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and representatives of the Agency. At the meeting, Dina and Ana presented a project “Towards Qualitative Signs of the Anti-corruption Efficacy”, which IA is implementing with the financial support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

Within the project, we prepared and presented Draft of the Recommendations for improving the work of the Agency in 2017. At the meeting, we discussed the Draft of the recommendations, exchanged opinions with the members of the Council and Agency’s employees on recommendations, but also considered other solutions for improving the work of the Agency that were not addressed in the Draft of the recommendations.

Representatives of Institute Alternative (IA) had a chance to hear about the Agency’s current activities and future plans to achieve greater efficiency and transparency in the work of this institution.

Taking into account all the arguments that IA representatives presented, as well as the new information presented by the institution’s representatives, IA will define the final recommendations and submit the document to the Agency.

The project “Towards Qualitative Signs of the Anti-corruption Efficacy” aims to influence three burning issues concerning the fight against corruption in Montenegro: poor reporting and monitoring mechanism – particularly reporting on implementation of the Action Plan for Chapter 23, still weak anti-corruption institutions and lack of available information about the shortcomings in their work that are preventing them from being more efficient.

 

NGOs appealed to the Government to enable Work of the Commisssion for Monitoring Investigation of Attack on Journalists

11 NGOs (Human Rights Action, Center for Women and Peace Education – ANIMA, Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro, Center for Civic Education, Women’s Rights Center, Center for Research and Monitoring (CeMI), Center for Investigative Journalism, Institute Alternative, Juventas, Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector – MANS, Women’s Safe House) sent a letter (in Montenegrin) to Prime Minister Mr. Duško Marković, Director of the Directorate for the Protection of Classified Information Mr. Savo Vučinić, and Director of the National Securuty Agency Mr. Dejan Peruničić, appealing to them to ensure urgent implementation of security check procedures for five members of the Commission for Monitoring Investigations of Attacks on Journalists, Dalibor Tomović, Duško Vuković, Marijana Camović, Veselin Racković i Ranko Vujović and swiftly decide on issuing a permit for access to classified information under the label Top Secret, so that the Commission could start working at full capacity. The Commission members asked for permissions to access information already on 10 October 2016, soon after it began its mandate.

Appeal to the MPs: Protect the SAI from Jelić

We appeal to the members of Committee for Economy, Finance and Budget not to vote for Zoran Jelic, during appointment of new member of the Senate of the State Audit Institution (SAI).

Zoran Jelić has done nothing to be considered worthy of the lifetime position as a member of the Senate of one of the key supervisory institutions in Montenegro, but has done plenty to be disqualified from this appointment.

Apart from the fact that his name is synonymous with the “Recording Affair“ and misuse of public funds for political purposes, Jelić has been breaking the law for many years, by being Member of the Parliament and civil servant in the Employment Agency of Montenegro, with full salaries in both positions.

Nevertheless, the key fact to eliminate him from the appointment should be the adverse (negative) opinion of the SAI on his management of the Employment Agency. During parliamentary discussion on the SAI report, former MP/director of the Employment Agency, Zoran Jelic, even debated and questioned the findings of SAI, thereby misusing his parliamentary position.

We doubt that Zoran Jelic meets all the criteria prescribed by the Law on SAI, as a member of the Senate, primarily audit exam. Therefore, Institut Alternativa has requested all the documentation that candidates have enclosed with their applications from the Parliament, as well as special documentation from SAI, on passed audit exams by the candidates. In the case of such an important appointment the greatest degree of transparency of the process must be ensured, and the public must be allowed access to all the documentation included in the application of the candidates.

After more than a decade of work, there is still room to strengthen the SAI – it lacks capacities, knowledge, impact, but most of all prominent and professional individuals who will guide its future development and provide a good example by their own integrity. Appointment of Jelić to the Senate would be a strike to the independence of SAI and quality of its work, and beginning of potential abuse for party purposes, when it comes to choosing the audit topic or concerning the relations with subjects of audit.

We call to the MPs to bear in mind only the greater goal of future development of SAI, as key ally to the Parliament in budget control, during this appointment, as well as the need for the new member of Senate to be the epitome of professionalism and integrity – everything that Jelić is not.

Stevo Muk
President of the Managing Board

TV Show “EU Integration”

Take a look at our Milena in TV Show “EU integration” on public broadcasting service. The speakers discussed government’s efforts to reconcile the conflicting requirements for the reduction of employees in the public administration and improvement of human resources.

Besides our Milena, speakers in TV show were Ružica Mišković, Head of the Directorate for International Cooperation and European Integration at the Ministry of Public Administration and Blaženka Dabanović on behalf of Human Resources Management Authority.

Watch the TV show at the link below:

Back to Basics: Re-affirming the Rule of Law in the Western Balkans

This paper urges decision makers in Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as civil society and regional organizations committed to the EU integration of the Western Balkans countries and EU institutions to address the shortcomings of the EU-related efforts of these countries to this point and the overall reforms that aim for the democratization of the region.

Evidence shows that progress in democracy and rule of law reforms in the region, albeit different across countries, is slow. Even when it has been achieved, progress has generally been more technical rather than directly focusing on politically sensitive issues. In all three countries, it is particularly worrisome that issues, which should come first on the Governments’ agendas, come last. In other words, there is continuous trend of stagnation or backsliding in fundamental rights, and this has especially been reflected in deteriorating media freedom and the violation of human rights by police officers and other official institutions.

Curbing overarching politicization in the region is a key precondition for a more efficient fight against corruption. The EU, Governments and CSOs should thus avoid technicisation of the EU accession efforts. The EU should persist with its “fundamentals first” approach, with more efficient inclusion of civil society in the process of EU integration. CSOs should continue independent monitoring and evaluation of rule of law efforts and with promoting examples of successful reforms – the so called “agents of reform” across the region, to spur positive peer-pressure among the countries.