The average transparency score of Montenegrin municipalities for the previous year was 52,5 points, which represents a decrease of 1,5 points compared to the situation two years ago, and among the local governments that achieved the best results, Plužine, Bar and Tuzi stand out.
This was announced at the Forum on the Fight against Corruption at the Local Level, organized by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Active Zone, where the Index of Openness and Transparency of Montenegrin Municipalities for last year was presented, PR Center writes.
The Executive Director of the NGO Akivna Zona, Miloš Marković, recalled that for years this organization has been striving to strengthen accountability, transparency and trust between citizens and institutions through projects and partnerships.
He said that they are organizing this event as part of the SELDI program, with the support of the European Union, with the aim, as he stated, of opening a space for dialogue, exchange of experiences and joint action against corruption - "where it affects the most, in local communities."
"Because the fight against corruption does not begin at the top of government, but at the counters, in offices and in public procurement. It begins where citizens communicate with their municipalities on a daily basis – where we decide on budgets, plans, services and quality of life," said Marković.
Head of the Public Policy Research Department (CeMI), Nemanja Stankov, pointed out that the transparency of local governments in Montenegro is still at an unsatisfactory level, despite the strategic goal of full integration into the European Union.
He reminded that Montenegro is at the EU's doorstep, but that this must not be allowed to overshadow the fact that a comprehensive transformation of the system is still necessary.
"Forums like this are a reminder, but also a warning, that creating a functional system at all levels of government is a prerequisite for achieving rule of law standards. Although high-profile corruption scandals are often in the public spotlight, it is the local level that has the greatest potential to deliver concrete results in creating a transparent system of public services," Stankov emphasized.
Stankov also praised the Active Zone report, stating that the results of their Openness and Transparency Index are almost identical to those of ASK.
"In the area of anti-corruption, as a sub-area, only 10 out of 23 municipalities have a score above half of the possible points, and the average is only 6 out of a maximum of 16 points. It is clear that the area of anti-corruption is the weakest link in terms of openness and transparency of local governments," Stankov warned.
Presenting the key findings and recommendations from the publication: "Index of Openness and Transparency of Montenegrin Municipalities (2024)", the author of the Index and project coordinator at the Active Zone, Marko Šaranović, explained that the research was conducted with the aim of assessing the availability of information and documents of public importance published by local governments in Montenegro during 2024.
"This is the second time that our organization has produced this index. The first time was in 2022, then in 2023 it was produced by the Center for Civic Education (CCE), and now we have done it again for 2024. With this approach, we wanted to look at patterns, challenges and trends in the field of digital transparency and accountability of local government, as well as the opportunities for citizens to monitor the work of their municipalities through official channels," said Šaranović.
He said that a total of 23 municipalities were assessed based on 50 closed questions, divided into six thematic areas, stating that the questions were scored from 0 to 2, with the possibility of partial scoring of 0.25, in order to nuance the different levels of efforts that municipalities invest in transparency, reports PR Center.
Šaranović said that the research showed that Plužine is the most transparent municipality, followed by Bar and Tuzi, while Žabljak is in last place.
"The municipality of Plužine is in first place again this year, with a maximum of 80 points, the same as in 2022. The municipality of Bar is in second place again, which has shown a slight improvement in the area of digitalization of information and publicly available documentation. The municipality of Žebljak remains in last place, with an additional slight decline compared to previous results," Šaranović specified.
He pointed out that most of the municipalities below average are located in the north of Montenegro, while the central region leads in transparency, but with a very small difference in the number of points.
"In the south, there has been a decrease in the number of published information compared to 2022," said Šaranović.
He said that the three thematic areas in which municipalities were most up-to-date were: publishing general information (average: 16,5 out of a maximum of 24 points), budget information (11 out of 18 points), and parliamentary activities (9 out of 18 points).
"Meanwhile, a decline is being recorded in the areas of public procurement, public hearings, competitions and cooperation with the community, as well as in the area of the fight against corruption. In the area of public procurement, the average score was only 4,3 points out of a maximum of 12, which means that municipalities publish only a third of the information they should. As many as 15 municipalities had a score below average in this category," said Šaranović.
He said that, although the centralized CEIN form was introduced, accompanying guides for citizens were missing, which is one of the key recommendations.
"These guides are essential for understanding the flow and content of information, especially about meetings and decisions," said Šaranović.
He pointed out that some of the least published documents are: final budget accounts, annual asset reports, as well as reports on the implementation of projects and programs of non-governmental organizations.
Speaking of recommendations, Šaranović said that detailed and narrative guides should be developed and published, especially on the budget and public procurement, regular, timely and annual publication of all legally prescribed documents, and campaigns should be implemented to inform citizens about available documents and ways to access information, through email lists, physical notices and other channels.
"We have examples of quality budget explanations, but it is clear that a longer narrative form would be much more useful and easier for citizens. The same applies to other key areas. We also recommend different types of communication and campaigns so that citizens know what tools exist and how they can use them," concluded Šaranović.
The President of the Municipality of Plužine, Slobodan Delić, who was awarded the award for the most transparent municipality, said that he was glad that they achieved a result that demonstrates the quality and level of proactivity.
"This is also an obligation for all local governments. We believe that we will manage to maintain this level, and even to be even better. We also hope that other local governments in Montenegro will embark on this common path, because all the work we do, we do in the interest of the entire community. It is necessary for this work to be visible, accessible and accessible. In the end, we are all on the same task - to do our best, and for what we do to be transparent and accessible to citizens," Delić emphasized.
The Chief Administrator of the Municipality of Bar, Anita Subasic Marvucic, emphasized the importance of the Local Government Openness Index, emphasizing that it represents confirmation that municipalities, as the first and primary service to citizens, not only can, but must work harder to improve transparency and openness.
"As for the Municipality of Bar, I can say with certainty that this recognition will be an additional incentive and a wind at our back to continue in that direction," said Subasic Marvucic.
The President of the Municipality of Tuzi, Lindon Gjelaj, expressed his satisfaction with the success the municipality achieved in the latest survey, emphasizing the importance of the recognition for one of the youngest municipalities in Montenegro.
He emphasized that he hopes for further cooperation and progress, both in the context of future research and in the broader sense of community development.
"I hope that we will improve the opportunities, not only for your research, but also for our citizens and the entire country, and that we will have a better trend in the future," said Gjelaj.
During Session I: The Role of Local NGOs in Strengthening Transparency Challenges and Good Practices of Local Civil Society Organizations in Conducting Oversight and Advocating for Accountable Government, Dragana Jaćimović, a public policy researcher at the Alternative Institute, stated that transparency often comes down to publishing information that municipalities already possess, but which is absent from the public.
"We are not asking for documents they do not have, but those that they are legally required to have and publish," said Jaćimović.
She particularly pointed out the challenges in accessing information, stating that it often depends on individuals within the system.
"We have examples of municipalities that regularly respond to requests, and then, after a change in staff, there is a standstill. This should not depend on personal will," Jaćimović pointed out.
Speaking about open data, she stated that institutions often send documents in inadequate formats, which prevents analysis and further use.
"We ask that data be sent in readable electronic formats, not as scanned papers that we have to process additionally," said Jaćimović.
As an example, she also highlighted the problem with open data portals, which are occasionally inactive or contain irrelevant information.
"Open data must be functional and usable - so that it can be used by researchers, businesses, and citizens," said Jaćimović.
Publicist and journalist for the UL info portal, Mustafa Canka, said that transparency and accountability are key to the work of local governments.
He pointed out that the rankings clearly show where the problems are and that inefficiency is often a consequence of passivity and lack of staff.
"The municipality is the foundation of a free society. Local politics is where the efficiency of government is most clearly seen," said Canka, citing Tuzi and Plužine as positive examples for their transparency and speed of response.
He warned that time is against the indecisive and that responsibility needs to be personalized.
"If you don't have an answer, you are not responsible," Canka emphasized, adding that reforms must be an expression of real will, not imposed obligations.
He especially praised the civil sector in Ulcinj, which, through cooperation with the media, influences the government and acts in the interests of citizens.
The event was organized within the project (Open Local Government: Enhancing Transparency and Openness) implemented by (Active Zone). The project is part of the SELDI Small Grants Programme, within the project “Civil Society for Good Governance and the Fight against Corruption in South-East Europe: Strengthening Capacity for Evidence-Based Advocacy, Policy Influencing and Citizen Engagement (SELDI.net)”, funded by the European Union.
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