News
Political Appointments of Top Managers Go Against Professionalisation Promises
The announcements of distribution of top and senior civil service positions are opposite to the previously declared opening of the administration, encouragement of the best candidates to get the jobs and the overall professionalisation of state administration. Institute Alternative has previously pointed out that bidding by names and party affiliation when filling managerial positions, especially…
Strong Budgetary Inspection in Three Steps
During the entire mandate of the former Government, workplaces in the Budgetary inspection were vacant. Even when the inspection was functioning, it did not have good results – it did not file misdemeanour charges nor was the data about its work available to the public (minutes were marked as INTERNAL). Budgetary inspection could play the…
To Defend Freedom on Social Media but also to Increase Accountability
The right to freedom of expression in democratic societies should be restricted only when there is an urgent need for it and this restriction should be the exception. In Montenegro there is no law that regulate area of social networks, but that does not mean that citizens are not sanctioned, sometimes justifiably, sometimes unjustifiably, for…
Accountable public finances, Public administration reform
Local Finances, Optimisation and Covid19
Old question – Do municipalities exist to provide services to citizens or for some people there to receive salaries and parties to buy votes? The answer was sought in the Relfektor show on TV Vijesti, where Marko Sošić was a guest. There were interesting things, for example: How did the Municipality of Pljevlja functioned “quite…
Conclusions from the Consultative Meeting „Young online“
Institute Alternative (IA) organised consultative meeting with young people from Montenegro. Meeting was organised within the project “Make Future Together: EU and the Western Balkans from the Youth Perspective”. The topic of the today’s “Young online” meeting was social networks, as well as freedom of expression in the Internet. More than fifteen young people –…
Parliamentary program, Public administration reform
Law on Parliament for a Clear Division of Power and Better Accountability
The relationship between parliament and other branches of government, participation of civil society and the role of the opposition in parliamentary oversight, as well as gender mainstreaming are some of the issues that could be included in the work on the announced Law on Parliament. These are some of the conclusions from a conference ‘’Towards…
Freedom of Expression on the Internet: A Common Challenge for Montenegro and the EU
On Thursday 17, 2020, Institute Alternative will organise public discussion “Freedom of Expression on the Internet: A Common Challenge for Montenegro and the EU”, starting at 11h. Social media has exponentially increased the space for free expression on the Internet, but it has also created new challenges. They enabled easier communication and connected us, but…
Towards Merit-based Administration, Not a Party-measured One
The first legislative activity submitted by several MP’s after the constitution of the new Government of Montenegro and new convocation of the Parliament was the Draft Law Amending the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees. Considering the proposed provisions, the broader context and the current situation in public administration, our goal is to provide…
IA and HRA: Amend the Order Banning Gatherings in Public
Human Rights Action (HRA) and Institute Alternative (IA) have called upon the new Minister of Health, Ms. Jelena Borovinić Bojović, to urgently amend the order banning gatherings in public, so as to give citizens the right to protest, in accordance with international human rights standards, in a manner that does not violates public health. The…
First Anti-Corruption Law Proposed to the New Government
On International Anti-Corruption Day, NGOs Network for Affirmation of NGO Sector (MANS), Human Rights Action (HRA), the Institute Alternative (IA), the Centre for Monitoring and Research (CEMI) and the Center for Civil Liberties (CEGAS), submitted draft amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information to the Ministry of Public Administration. This is the first…
Whose door should state auditors knock on?
Consultations of the SAI and civil society when: December 9th, 11am where: ZOOM platforma i IA Facebook page We are organising civil society consultations with the Senate of the State Audit Institution (SAI) in anticipation of the development of the annual audit plan for 2021. Members of the SAI Senate will talk to representatives…
Duplication instead of upgrading – the role of UNDP in Montenegro
UNDP and the Ministry of Finance have created a local finance portal – which is similar in purpose, appearance and way of presenting data to our portal on local budgets, My City, published in 2013. If a different presentation had not already been made, it would have been more rational to continue working on My…