The suggestions and proposals of the civil sector have not been taken seriously so far, which is why it is significant that he is the president of the state Jakov Milatovic at the beginning of his mandate pointed out the importance of the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the implementation of reforms.
This was assessed for "Vijesti" by the representatives of the NGO that will respond to the invitation for tomorrow's meeting with Milatović. As they said, the key messages they will send to the President of Montenegro are the necessity of urgent electoral reform and that competent institutions, including the President, should see partners in the NGO sector who will contribute to the acceleration of the process on the way to the EU with knowledge and expertise.
In the invitation, Milatović stated that the acceleration of Montenegro's European path requires the engagement of all social actors, and that the first meeting with NGOs will be on the topic of improving the rule of law and key reform challenges in Montenegro.
It is the first time that the president of the state organizes wider consultations with the NGO sector. Former presidents Filip Vujanovic i Milo Djukanovic they had no such practice.
Director of Human Rights Action (HRA), Tea Gorjanc Prelevic, confirmed for "Vijesti" that this was the first invitation they received from a state president.
She pointed out that they expect from the meeting an exchange of opinions, getting to know the views of the president on issues that are important for the establishment of the rule of law, for the protection of human rights and transitional justice.
When asked whether she will present any proposals at the HRA meeting, Gorjanc Prelevic replied that, within the organization, she will agree on proposals that are in line with the powers of the president.
Program Director of the Civic Alliance (GA), Milan Radovic, he said that this NGO supports the initiative of the president of the state to gather representatives of the civil sector and considers it significant that at the beginning of his mandate he pointed out the importance of the role of the NGO sector in terms of contributing to the necessary reforms of Montenegro, the application and improvement of the rule of law and its European path.
"Compared to the period from 10 years ago until now, the role of the NGO sector has changed significantly in terms of its inclusion in important processes, and now NGO representatives are part of government working groups for drafting and amending laws, working groups for negotiation chapters, and other working groups government bodies", said Radović for "Vijesti".
He stated that there is a lack of more serious acceptance of suggestions and proposals from NGOs, so that in this way they could be essentially included in the processes.
This, he said, will also raise the somewhat dormant interest of NGOs in applying to join various working groups, because precisely the lack of adoption of their recommendations led to a reduced interest in joining the aforementioned working groups.
"We want to point out that the competent institutions, and the president himself, should see the NGO sector as partners and use the potential that the NGO sector has and makes available to contribute to the acceleration of the process on the way to the EU with its knowledge and expertise," he said. Radovic.
Executive Director of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) Dragan Korivica announced that at the meeting he would present proposals related to the necessity of urgent electoral reform and opposition to the party's logic that they have ownership of the state and society, then to the need to introduce new instruments of deliberative democracy in which citizens' opinions are much more listened to and adopted.
He said that they welcome Milatović's initiative, stating that they had previously received invitations from the president on different occasions.
In the invitation to the NGO, Milatović announced that he considers it important that support for the efforts of NGOs be recognized at the institutional level, bearing in mind the active role of the civil sector in the process of European integration.
He said that it is the duty of all public office holders to put their activities and actions at the service of achieving those goals.
"This meeting is important, bearing in mind that the set goals can only be met through joint action and represents the first step in building a partnership and cooperation between the institution of the president and the civil sector towards achieving results of national interest," said Milatović.
Radović: NGOs contributed to a better understanding of EU integration
Milan Radović said that the non-governmental sector played and still plays a significant role in the process of European integration, in terms of promoting EU values, providing support for reforms that are necessary, and constant monitoring of Montenegro's progress in terms of EU accession.
"Through their analyses, expert research and public opinion polls and various other activities, NGOs contributed to a better understanding of European integration, and through their work and promotion of EU integration, they supported the process itself. That's why the state should understand the relationship with the non-governmental sector as a joint action towards the improvement of all processes, in which the NGO sector is an important factor", pointed out Radović.
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