In the second episode of the IA podcast (Re)Forma, we discussed the activities undertaken in the process of public administration reform, the importance of data accessibility, and the announced (urgent) amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees with Marija Hajduković, General Director of the Directorate for Strategic Planning in Public Administration, International Cooperation, and IPA Funds at the Ministry of Public Administration.
Hajduković highlighted the area related to the civil service system as a significant result of the activities conducted, which includes intensive work on amending the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees. This law underwent changes in 2020, which were then criticised by the European Commission.
“We expect that this law will soon be up for public discussion, and we are currently in communication with SIGMA representatives. I would particularly emphasise the results achieved during these first hundred days of the new Government’s work – primarily the publication of the number of employees in public administration and the publication of the 1.000 highest salaries in the public sector, indicating a real effort towards transparent work and the publication of data held by the authorities,” said Hajduković.
She added that several other activities have been undertaken in the normative part, which is also the most complex.
“First and foremost, I refer to the Law on the Government, the preparation and adoption of the Law on Local Self-Government, and the Law on Information Security,” said Hajduković, adding that the publication of the central-level institution registry is one of the significant results regarding public administration reform.
The Ministry of Public Administration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, has created an interactive platform that allows the public to track not only the institutions but also the number of employees in institutions at both the central and local levels.
“It is very important to note that this is an interactive platform that will be updated this quarter. This is crucial not only for tracking the number of employees and salaries, but also to reduce the number of requests for free access to information, as many individuals contact the Ministry of Public Administration or the Ministry of Finance to obtain data,” concluded Hajduković.
Current scope of public administration reform – still without public enterprises
Despite initiatives to include public enterprises in the framework of the Public Administration Reform Strategy, which was adopted at the end of 2021, the strategic direction of the Government of Montenegro was that enterprises are not part of the public administration.
“It is important for everyone to understand what the scope of public administration entails, and the introduction of public institutions was a very significant reform. I agree that, in an ideal scenario, including public enterprises would also be beneficial, which is not common practice, and there are no such rules,” said Hajduković, adding that certain activities are being carried out in this area as well. Last month, information on the establishment of an enterprise registry was published, concluding that this part requires some improvement.
Currently, she added, an analysis of the situation in public institutions is being conducted, which will be a starting point for policy creation and, ultimately, the Law on Public Institutions, which Montenegro does not yet possess. However, the adoption of this law is not planned for the 2024 work programme of the Ministry of Public Administration.
Hajduković emphasized that there is both political and financial support, which are key prerequisites for the further process of public administration reform, and that, along with knowledge, this is the only way to achieve results.
“It is very important for me to point out that the Public Administration Reform Strategy was implemented between two governments, and for any reform or achievement of results, political support is very important. Besides political support, it is crucial to have financial resources for the sustainable achievement of those results,” said Hajduković, concluding that, at this moment, there is a strategic document that is relevant and covers all the challenges faced by the Montenegrin administration.
