We have proposed that ministries be clearly obliged to plan funds for financing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) within their regular budgets, in the same way as for other expenditures, the Institute Alternative (IA) announced today.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) said that they had submitted comments on the Draft Law on Non-Governmental Organizations with the aim of providing a better legal framework for the work of civil society and better compliance with European standards.
"Our suggestions specifically relate to systemic issues of defining the areas of activity of non-governmental organizations, the method of their classification and financing from the budget. We believe that the law should not restrictively list the areas of public interest for which NGO projects are funded, because this always carries the risk of omitting important topics. Instead, we proposed that they be defined systematically through existing strategic state documents. This would allow those areas that may not be recognized today, but may become a priority in the future, to be included. If the legislator nevertheless decides to maintain the existing approach, we emphasize that it is important to explicitly recognize topics such as transparency and accountability of public administration, oversight of public finances, the fight against corruption, openness in the adoption of public policies and citizen oversight of institutions. These are precisely the areas of key public interest, already confirmed in strategic state documents and obligations from the European integration process," the IA pointed out.
The NGO added that in this context, they highlighted the need to introduce a clear classification of the areas of NGO activity, through a special bylaw, in order to overcome the current lack of clarity and provide a better statistical and analytical basis for public policies.
"This would also enable better monitoring and evaluation of the contributions of civil society organizations. The issue of financing NGOs from the budget is linked to these broader challenges. Although the draft law envisages an increase in allocations for projects and programs, practice shows that many ministries do not plan funds in their annual budgets at all, but rather transfer them to a budget reserve. Such a solution creates uncertainty and reduces transparency, and often leads to calls for support not being announced at all. We proposed that ministries be clearly obliged to plan funds for financing NGOs within their regular budgets, in the same way as for other expenditures. This would improve the predictability and accountability of the financing system. We also appealed for the bylaws that will regulate this area to be adopted through public consultations, in order to prevent key details from being regulated behind closed doors," the IA said.
They also said that they pointed out a problematic provision that prohibits the use of the word 'institute' in the name of non-governmental organizations.
"We believe that this is an unjustified and retroactive restriction that encroaches on the identity of organizations and leads to legal uncertainty for numerous already registered NGOs. Instead of deleting the entire category of names, we believe that possible doubts can be resolved in a different way - by specifying the legal status of organizations in their full names or by introducing a clear distinction between state and non-governmental institutes," the IA statement reads.
The NGO said that they will continue to advocate for legal solutions that strengthen civil society, advance the rule of law, and contribute to Montenegro's European integration.
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