News
Accountable public finances, Public administration reform
Why it is Important to Finally Adopt the Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information
The Parliamentary Committee on the Political System, Judiciary, and Administration held a consultative hearing on the Proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Law on Free Access to Information. Our representative, Marko Sošić, highlighted the challenges we face in exercising this right due to government bodies using the Law to conceal information or hinder…
On the work of inspectorates and the coordination mechanisms in the countries of the region
The cross-section of the work of seven inspectorates in Montenegro and the inspections coordination mechanisms in Croatia and Serbia were the topic of the second meeting we held within the framework of the project Inspections without protection: Allies in the fight against corruption. On March 27, Institute Alternative organised the second meeting of representatives of…
Accountable public finances, Public administration reform
Over a Thousand New Employees in Municipalities in a Year
Over a Thousand New Employees in Municipalities in a Year – According to Data from the Ministry of Finance. At the local level, the number of employees has increased by more than one-third over the past decade, despite no new responsibilities being assigned to the municipalities. What would happen to this number if we proceeded…
The Government changes at least 85 laws with one law: Political decision made, debate just a formality
The Government and the Ministry of Public Administration should undertake the reform of inspection oversight only after conducting an analysis of the state and results of the work of the Administration for Inspection Affairs and inspections operating within ministries. The process of decentralising inspections is a political decision. This is confirmed by the Minister of…
Meeting with the President of the Security and Defence Committee
At the meeting held last week, representatives of Institute Alternative (IA), Dragana Jaćimović and Bojana Pravilović, presented IA proposals for improving the work of the Security and Defence Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro. Institute Alternative has been monitoring the work of the Parliament and the Security and Defence Committee for years, so this was…
Changes to provisions on inspection oversight without public and clear arguments
Although the Ministry of Public Administration claimed in its official response to the Institute Alternative that it still does not know all the legal changes resulting from the abolition of the Administration for Inspection Affairs, in the meantime, it has initiated changes to 85 laws, without a clear explanation and violating public consultation procedures. IA…
IA proposals for improving the Government’s Mid-term Work Programme
Institute Alternative’s proposals for improving the Government’s mid-term work programme mainly focus on strengthening legal and practical guarantees for merit-based employment, the need for an overall analysis of the current inspection system, the application of anti-corruption mechanisms in the field of public procurement, and legislative changes regarding classified information. The Government’s mid-term work programme, which…
Protest of 15 NGOs: Proposed amendments to the Criminal Code once again do not strengthen human rights protection in Montenegro
We protest because the recently published Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Montenegro again does not contain changes important for the protection of human rights. This is the second time in three months that the Ministry of Justice has ignored recommendations of the Committee against Torture (CAT), the Committee on the Rights…
E-Government Development: Weak Systems Despite Years of Investment
Software for State Asset Management was paid for a decade ago but was not developed according to specifications. Hackers allegedly “locked” the Open Data portal, prompting the Ministry of Public Administration to create a third version. The government is also developing a new electronic document management system because the old one does not support upgrades.…
IA proposals for the improvement of the Work Plan of the Anti-Corruption Committee
After the meeting with the President of the Anti-Corruption Committee, today we have submitted written proposals for the improvement of the Work Plan of this Committee for 2024. -We emphasised the importance of utilising the mechanism for reviewing quarterly reports of Agency for Prevention of Corruption, as well as periodic review of the results of…
Public Enterprises: A Task for Budgetary Inspection
On July 21, 2023, Institute Alternative submitted an initiative for the inspection of companies owned by the state and local government units regarding the violation of the Law on Salaries of Employees in the Public Sector. Article 10 of the Law on Salaries of Employees in the Public Sector stipulates that companies owned by the…
IA representatives met with the President of the Anti-Corruption Committee
Milena Muk and Bojana Pravilović, representatives of Institute Alternative, presented proposals for improving the work of the Anti-Coruption Committee to the President of this working body, Jevto Eraković, at today’s meeting. For years, Institute Alternative has been monitoring the work of the Parliament and its committees, and on this occasion, we have pointed out some…