Minister Suzana Pribilović decided not to select Stevo Muk, the candidate of the Institute alternative, for the member of the Council for Public Administration Reform.
Thus, the Institute alternative that has advocated for years for the full participation of NGOs in coordination bodies to monitor public administration reform eventually became unwelcome in the Council, which composition, after our efforts, was extended to representatives of non-governmental sector.
To remind, the Government adopted the Decision on the establishment of the Council for the monitoring of public administration reform in October last year. Its mandate is to monitor the implementation of the Public Administration Reform Strategy for the period 2016-2020, as well as other regulations and activities in connection with this reform.
Minister of Public Administration selected the candidate of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) to be a member of the Council, based on solely one criterion: the number of NGOs that have proposed and supported the candidate.
However, the application of CDT is supported by non-governmental organizations, where most of them do not address the issue of public administration reform through their work.
Among the organizations which, according to Minister Pribilović, are covering “PAR” areas, are organizations dealing with “musical heritage”, “prevention of getting stroke, educational lectures on stroke and help to persons who have survived a stroke”, “reactions to environmental incidents”, “reducing poverty “, “social care for children and young people “, “gathering of agricultural producers”, and so on.
Despite all of this, Minister Pribilović has accepted those candidacies as valid, and declared them for legitimate proponents.
Accepting all 23 organizations as legitimate proposers is contrary to public tender and the Regulation on cooperation between state administration and NGOs.
She was obliged to access the fulfillment of the criteria laid down by the call. Among other things, the organization that supports the candidacy had to have carried out at least one activity in connection with the task of the Council for Public Administration Reform during the previous year.
We remind the Minister and the public:
- When working group for drafting the Public Administration Reform Strategy was formed, the only candidate for membership from civil sector was the candidate of Institute alternative;
- When NGOs were invited to submit written comments on the draft text of the Public Administration Reform Strategy – only Institute alternative has done so;
- On the public debate about the draft of Public Administration Reform Strategy -only three non-governmental organizations appeared. From these three NGOs, there were none of those that are among 23 organizations that supported the candidate of CDT;
- When the first Report on the implementation of the Public Administration Strategy was published, Institute alternative is the only NGO that has made public comments.
Apropos, the Institute alternative is the only NGO that systematically monitors the implementation of the Strategy with the support of the European Union.
Obviously, all these are the reasons for our Minister to declare us ineligible for membership in the Council.
Bearing in mind ignoring previous experience of organizations that have proposed Stevo Muk for membership in the Council, we will initiate proceedings before the Administrative Court for the annulment of such a Decision of the Ministry of Public Administration.
IA Team
