News
Accountable public finances, Parliamentary program, Public administration reform
Important Laws Passing Without Public Discussion
Tomorrow, the Parliament of Montenegro will consider 8 laws that have not undergone public discussion, which continues the highly non-transparent way of preparing legislation that characterises both this Government and the parliamentary majority. Of the laws on tomorrow’s agenda, five proposed by the Government did not undergo public discussion “due to urgency.” These are important…
Accountable public finances, Public administration reform
The Draft Fiscal Strategy – IA Comments and Suggestions
As part of the public debate on the draft Fiscal Strategy of Montenegro for the period 2024-2027, we submitted 10 proposals for amendments to this important document to the Ministry of Finance. This will be the third Fiscal Strategy since this instrument was introduced into the public finance system in 2014, and we have waited…
Postponing to the point of meaninglessness – how the control function of the Parliament collapses by untimely holding of the voted control hearings
Today, the Security and Defence Committee holds a control hearing of the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior on the following topic: “Appointment of the acting Director of the Police Administration and the consequences on the security system in Montenegro.” The decision to hold the hearing was voted unanimously more than four months…
Video Story: Prove You Know Your Native Language – The Myths of Meritocracy
When a Montenegrin citizen graduated from university in Montenegro, he never imagined that he would have to prove his knowledge of his native language to get a job. The situation becomes even more absurd when you consider that it was legally impossible to obtain such proof from licensed institutions, despite the explicit request of the…
Direct procurement – exempt from the Law and determination of conflicts of interest
Simple procurements are exempted from the application of the Law on Public Procurements, and the Rulebook that regulates this type of procurements additionally exempts direct procurements, so no sanctions are provided for illegalities related to conflicts of interest or other irregularities, such as the sharing of procurement items. Responses to the initiatives for inspection supervision…
The public procurement system in Montenegro is close to EU standards, but with numerous problems in practice
Public procurement in Montenegro is not efficient, and the challenges in this area are multiple. Despite the fact that Montenegro meets all the requirements of the European Union, public procurement as part of the system must be viewed in the Montenegrin context. We must have a focus on this area, especially from the aspect of…
They extend the deadlines, but rarely charge the penalties
Due to delays in the implementation of the works, the Traffic Administration imposed penalties on the contractor in only two cases, while the Capital Projects Administration did not do so once. At the same time, by signing an annex, both state administrations enabled an increase in the agreed price of works for one project each,…
Video Story: How to Get a Job in the Public Sector? The Myths of Meritocracy
How difficult is it to get a job in the public sector, even when you meet all the qualifications? This is shown through the story of Hakija Marković, a machine locksmith from Plav, who applied last year for a position as a janitor and steam boiler operator at the Health Centre in Plav. Two committees,…
Inter-parliamentary conference on the Berlin Process held in Petrovac
In collaboration with our partners, the Institute for Democracy ‘Societas Civilis’ from Skopje, we organised an inter-parliamentary conference titled “The Advantages of the Berlin Process: Special Focus on the Common Regional Market.” The conference gathered MPs from all regional parliaments, who exchanged opinions and experiences on the current state and future challenges of the Berlin…
State Administration Struggles with Procuring Paper, Toner, and Vehicles
The shortage of paper and toner for printers was just part of the problem that plagued numerous state agencies last year due to the cancellation of centralised public procurements. Appeals processes delayed some centralised procurements by up to eight months. Centralised public procurements are conducted by the State Property Administration for the entire public administration,…
IA meeting with the President of Montenegro
The professionalisation of the management structure and good corporate governance in public enterprises form the foundation for creating an efficient and economically prosperous society. This was one of the key messages from the meeting with the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović. The meeting was held on June 19, and Institute Alternative was represented by Stevo…
Two Hundred Days Without a Response from the Administrative Inspection
We have sent urgent requests and inquiries, but to no avail… Even after 200 days, there has been no response from the Administrative Inspection regarding our initiative for conducting an inspection! With our initiative, we requested oversight over the extension of acting appointments. The government, after noting the expiration of six-month mandates for acting officials,…