NGO “Institute Alternative” expresses its most deep protest regarding the refusal of the party elite in power to respect civil society and the idea of public service. Unfortunately, recommendations coming from the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, or remarks from Freedom House and State Department’s reports weren’t adopted.

Violence towards civil society, repeated for the fourth time, represents the culmination of the rejection of multi-annual suggestions, ideas and efforts coming from all domestic and international subjects, which all had in common emphasizing the necessity to nominate members of the Council of the national public service from the lines of NGOs, unions, medias and University.

Instead of improving, and changing attitude towards respecting legitimacy, benevolent recommendations and the process of European integration of Montenegro, political majority is once again confronting its citizens an European values. The members of Parliament that voted against these nominations showed disrespect towards the organizations of civil society and towards citizens involved in them.

Now, when it became obvious that politics cannot dictate majority in the Council, they got the idea that the Council itself should be abolished and law changed by introducing a model that would project the majority’s will directly into the national public service. Concept of wide participation of civil society in the Council should be kept and independence, transparency and efficiency of its work should be additionally improved. The Parliament must not have a say in deciding who the members of the Council should be.

Stevo Muk

The president of the executive board of Institute Alternativa

In Podgorica, non-governmental organization “Institute Alternative” is founded.

Institute Alternative intends to contribute to the development of democracy, rule of law and human rights through analyzing public policies, monitoring and reporting on the work of public institutions in Montenegro.

Institute Alternative will significantly contribute to the analysis and monitoring of public policy and public institutions in Montenegro.

Institute Alternative will also prepare analyses of the cases indicative for the functioning of the system in specific areas.

The founders of Institute are jurists, economists, political scientists, PhD candidates at domestic and foreign universities.

The Institute Alternative was founded by Vera Šćepanović, Daliborka Uljarević, Stevo Muk, Aleksandar Saša Zeković i Maja Vujašković. In the following period, the Managing board of the Institute will nominate Advisory Council and executive director.

The first research of the Institute will be about the public administration with focus on salary schemes, reward system and opportunities for professional advancement in law and in practice. The research is supported by Foundation Open Society Institute, Representative Office in Montenegro.

Institute will constantly work on expanding the web of senior and temporary associates and strengthening its capacities. In that intent, cooperation with European Initiative for Stability, non-profit research institute with offices in Wiena, Brussels and Istanbul, and also with numerous think tank organizations in region and EU, was established.

Stevo Muk
the president of Managing board