News
Ministry of Interior Silent for Two Months on Commissions for Screening Future Police Officers
For two months now, the Ministry of Interior has failed to provide information on the formation of commissions for assessing the knowledge, abilities, and skills of applicants for police officer positions, as well as for conducting integrity checks of candidates. On April 28 this year, Institute Alternative addressed the Ministry of Interior (MoI) requesting information…
Direct Procurements Continue to Grow – Comment on the Annual Public Procurement Report
In Montenegro, significant amounts of money are still allocated to simple procurements contracted directly — nearly €68.8 million last year, which is €4.2 million more than in 2023. These procurements are individually worth up to €8,000, are not carried out through the Montenegrin Electronic Public Procurement System (CeJN), and are the least transparent — because…
Podcast, Public administration reform
Discrimination in Public Sector Employment: Difficult to Prove, but Widespread
Discrimination in public sector employment is difficult to prove; however, cases before the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms indicate that discrimination is most prevalent in the area of employment and labor relations, with nationality and political affiliation being the most common grounds. On the issue of discrimination in public sector employment, the many challenges…
Streaming Toward a More Efficient Inquiry Committee
The work of the Inquiry Committee so far has shown that there is substantial room for improving its performance, especially in the areas of data collection and effective use of time during sessions. The Inquiry Committee will find it difficult to achieve its stated goals if it continues working in the manner we recently witnessed.…
Delays in Staffing Planning at the State Level Have Become Standard Practice
As many as 92% of state administration bodies and government services in Montenegro have not yet prepared staffing plans for 2025. Out of 52 government bodies and services, only four have fulfilled their legal obligation and submitted draft staffing plans to the Human Resources Administration. This information was stated in the official Report on the…
The Security and Defence Committee Should Open the 29th Session for All Agenda Items Not Marked as Classified
Only one of the four items on the agenda is marked as classified, which is why we believe that the Security and Defence Committee should open to the public the part of its 29th session scheduled for 16 May. The agenda includes information regarding the actions of the police in relation to the tragic event…
(Dis)agreements
Everything could have been different. The Government and local self-governments, in consultation with citizens, could have discussed issues of the economy, tourism, and investments. ‘What should we do with the largest sites suitable for further tourism development? How should we approach this—independently or by seeking investors? How big should such projects be (in length, width,…
Government Keeps Hiding Session Materials
An analysis of the materials from the sessions of the 44th Government of Montenegro, covering the period from the start of its mandate (31 October 2023) until 1 January 2025, shows that out of 2,973 agenda items considered, 118—or 4%—were classified in such a way that even the titles and types of materials discussed and…
Montenegro Lacks 149 Inspectors
Out of 44 inspections, the current staffing level of inspectors is 70% of the planned capacity. Only seven of them are fully staffed, and there are no inspectors at all in inspections for state property, energy efficiency, cultural heritage, or geology inspections. According to data for the 44 inspections operating under the Law on Inspection…
On the Current State of Inspection Supervision
The current state of inspection supervision and the impact of amendments to the Law on Inspection Supervision on the regular work of inspectors were the topics of the fourth meeting held within the project “Inspect to Protect: Turning Inspectorates Into Anti-Corruption Allies.” On December 23rd, Institute Alternative organised a meeting with representatives of inspection bodies,…
Cautious Optimism: Clear Criticism Despite Progress Ratings
Despite the assessment of progress, the European Commission’s report brings numerous criticisms, demands for concrete results, and new recommendations focused on implementing adopted laws – the real work is yet to come! The European Commission’s report provides an average progress score of 3.21 across chapters, while the readiness score is 3.20, showing slight improvement compared…
Government to provide software for all inspections
Institute Alternative has called on the Government to ensure the necessary conditions for the Unified Inspection Information System (UIIS) to be utilised by all inspection bodies. After we highlighted that the inspection software was not in use, the Government of Montenegro issued an Information on October 10, 2024, regarding the Unified Inspection Information System, emphasising…