
Montenegro Lags Behind the Region in Service Delivery and Digitalisation
The results of the regional WeBER monitoring of public administration reform in the area of service delivery and digitalisation have shown that Montenegro ranks second to last among the six Western Balkan countries, with 36 points out of a possible 100 – only 0.5 points ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As many as 37.5% of…
Procurement of Police Uniforms Outside the Public Procurement System
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has demonstrated that it is unwilling to operate in accordance with the public procurement system established by Montenegro. -This is shown by the information on the adoption of the Financing Agreement between UNDP and the Ministry of Interior for providing operational support to this ministry during the 2025–2027 period, which…
Accountable public finances, Public administration reform
Some local administrations plan to hire more than 50% of the current workforce: No justification for new waves of hiring
Hiring more than 1,300 people has been planned by 22 Montenegrin municipalities, despite large debts for unpaid taxes and salary contributions. As many as 16 municipalities plan to hire more than one-third of their current number of employees. Twenty-two Montenegrin local governments, through their staffing plans for 2025, have expressed the need to hire as…
Four Proposals for SAI’s Annual Audit Plan for 2026
As part of the State Audit Institution’s public consultation for civil society, academia, and professional associations, Institute Alternative proposed topics for the Annual Audit Plan for the next year. For the 2026 Annual Audit Plan, we suggested that state auditors focus on the following: How is the inspection oversight information system being used, and by…
Muk: The State Has Stopped Halfway in the Fight Against Crime and Corruption
Answering the question of whether five years after the fall of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) shows that the state has capitulated to the legacy of corruption and crime, President of the Managing board Stevo Muk told Vijesti that the state has stopped halfway – “I wouldn’t say it has capitulated, nor that it…

59 organisations submitted comments for the EU Civil Society Strategy
The preparation of the EU Strategy for Civil Society is underway, for which we have prepared comments together with 58 other organisations from Europe as part of broader public consultations. The global crisis of democratic legitimacy and the regression of the rule of law have pushed civic space into a downward spiral, with enlargement countries…
Publications
See all publications →Concerns over Proposed Amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs
The proposed provisions completely deprive police officers of the opportunity to be informed of the allegations made against them, to present their “defence” in response, and to have the possibility to protect their rights during the procedure. Institute Alternative addressed the President and members of the Committee on Political System, Judiciary and Administration, pointing out…

Prevent the NSA from Conducting All Procurement as Classified
The new Draft Law on the National Security Agency (NSA), which is scheduled for consideration by the Committee on Security and Defence on 29 July, unjustifiably introduces a complete exemption from the application of public procurement regulations for the realisation of all NSA procurements. Article 83 of the Draft Law stipulates that “procurement regulations shall…
Draft Law: A Step Backward for the National Security Agency (ANB)
The Draft Law on the National Security Agency is a step backward in terms of judicial oversight, employment, and public procurement. There is no justified reason for the Draft Law on the National Security Agency (ANB) to be rushed through parliamentary procedure in just a few days, without any prior debate or consultation. This is especially troubling…

No Dialogue, Only Penalties: Prevent the Draconian Ban on Road Protests
The non-governmental organizations Action for Human Rights, Center for Women’s Rights, and Institute Alternativecontinue to protest against the amendments to the Law on Public Assemblies and Public Events, proposed by MPs from the ruling political parties. The subsequently introduced amendments have not addressed the core shortcomings of the proposal, which absolutely — in all cases — prohibits assemblies on public…
Records of the Real Estate Administration on service contracts “against” the Real Estate Administration
With the protection of personal data, we are publishing in full the records of service contracts in the Real Estate Administration, in order to prevent misinterpretation of our research work. We thank the management of this institution for their unfounded denial, which has brought us new insights, even less favorable to the practice of using…
Podcast, Public administration reform
Public Sector Under the Labor Inspectorate’s Scrutiny: Fewer Inspections, More Initiatives
Most of the initiatives received by the Labor Inspectorate concern the public sector; however, the private sector is subject to more frequent inspections, as irregularities there tend to have more serious consequences, explained the Chief Labor Inspector in our ReForma podcast. He announced plans to strengthen the Inspectorate’s capacities, which would, among other things, enable better oversight…