WeBER Policy Briefs

Publicity of the work of the Government is regulated by the Decree on the Government, the Rules of Procedure of the Government and the Decision on the publication of materials from the sessions of the Government. Article 4 of the Government Regulation emphasizes that the work of the Government is public, that the Government has a website where it publishes information about its work, and that, in accordance with the legislation (Law on Free Access to Information and Rules of Procedure of the Government), it is obliged to provide the public with access to its work work. According to the Rules of Procedure of the Government, in addition to the notice on convening the session, the Government’s website provides for the publication of the proposed agenda, which contains an indication of points for discussion and points for verification, materials for individual points on the agenda, committee reports and minutes from the previous session. Article 2 of the Decision on the Publication of Materials from Government Sessions stipulates the publication of: 1) proposal of the agenda of the Government session; 2) material considered by the Government at the session for which the appropriate level of secrecy has not been determined [...]

In the context of the EU’s enlargement policy, the European Commission is the institution which should be in the driver’s seat, leading the development of the policy and proposing changes and improvements of the approach. Its annual reports analyse the state of play and progress across the fundamental reform areas as well as individual negotiating chapters for all candidates and potential candidates. As such, they are the primary source for evaluating these countries’ progress in the EU integration process. Moreover, they should serve as a reliable basis for the decisions by the EU Council to make or withhold advancement of individual aspirants towards membership, including opening of negotiation clusters and closing of individual negotiation chapters. Yet, it is doubtful whether the Commission’s monitoring and assessment mechanisms are effective enough to allow it to act in the expected capacity. In practice, the Council has frequently disregarded or decided not to follow up on the Commission’s recommendations based on these reports. This is largely due to the fact that member states continue to demonstrate a notable level of mistrust when it comes to the Commission’s approach to reform monitoring and assessment. Such an inter-institutional rift in the EU sends inconsistent and [...]

Digital transformation of public administration and society in Montenegro is an objective proclaimed by a series of strategic documents - primarily, the Public Administration Reform Strategy and the Digital Transformation Strategy, which were both adopted in late 2021.2 Particular focus is placed on further digitalisation of public administration services, which should be measured by indicators related to the number of digitalised services on a single portal (e.g. 20 so-called life-event services like eStudent, eBirth, eEnrolment, eNGO registration, eProfessional exam, etc. by 2026 compared to 0, which is the current baseline); the number of interconnected electronic registers managed by institutions (e.g. 50 by 2026 compared to the current baseline of 8 connected registers); as well as connecting all local administrations to a single system for electronic data exchange (Government Service Bus - GSB). The Report on the Implementation of the Public Administration Reform for 2022 showed that no progress was made in terms of the number of digitalised services on a single portal. This translates to citizens of Montenegro still not being able to fully receive services from the public administration electronically, without visiting a counter. The number of pairs of electronic registers connected through GSB has increased from eight [...]

Montenegro’s obligation to publish open data, i.e. data in a format that facilitates its reuse, is stipulated by the Law on Free Access to Information. Publishing data in an open format is particularly important for its reuse, allowing for analysis and digital processing. Publishing data in an open format is also one of the indicators for public administration transparency, in line with the OECD/SIGMA Principles of Public Administration. Therefore, it is included in the WeBER PAR Monitor methodology for monitoring public administration reform in the Western Balkans. A proactive approach to open data policy implies that published data can be downloaded by different users, that downloading open data is free, and that data is published in a machine-readable format.Open data has great potential, especially considering that it becomes available to a wider range of users, that there are no control mechanisms or restrictions by the author, and that anyone can freely use and analyse it. It can be of particular importance to the scientific and business community, as well as the civil sector, but it can also be interesting to citizens. The aim of this analysis is to provide an overview of the current situation in terms of open [...]

The state administration has been reforming for almost two decades, since 2004. With the adoption of the new strategic framework in 2021, it seems that the reform has gained a new momentum, with a greater orientation towards citizens and the economy. Not stopping at such a generally defined goal, the Public Administration Reform (PAR) Strategy offers an even more specific commitment towards the administration as a customer centre, that provides user-oriented services that are reasonably priced, while taking care of minority and vulnerable groups. Despite such a far-reaching goal, the available data indicate that there is still a lack of sensibility of the administration for the needs of the citizens, especially for the vulnerable and endangered. Also, the data points to the uneven accessibility of jobs positions in the state administration – an aspect that the PAR Strategy does not deal with. If all citizens do not get the opportunity to access services, information and public facilities, not only the success of the PAR is put into question, but also the existence of an inclusive society and the exercise of human rights. Likewise, enabling persons belonging to vulnerable groups to get a job in the civil service, i.e., state [...]

At the centre of the monitoring of public administration reform (PAR), there are topics that are of primary interest to citizens and civil society. One of them, which pervades practically all areas of PAR and on which the quality of implemented reforms can depend to a significant extent, is certainly transparency. Transparency implies that the goals of public policies, their legal, institutional and economic framework, as well as political decisions and all related data and information are delivered to the public in an understandable, accessible and timely manner. Relying on this understanding of transparency and the OECD/SIGMA Principles of Public Administration, the WeBER PAR Monitor methodology for monitoring PAR in the Western Balkans largely integrates the principle of transparency as one of the central components of good governance. The importance of transparency can be viewed from several perspectives. In the first place, transparency enables citizens to be fully aware of their rights and to fulfil their obligations timely and efficiently. It is also important for the smooth functioning of the market, i.e., so that economic actors can conduct their business in a free and competitive atmosphere. In connection with the previous, full transparency that enables public oversight of the [...]