WeBER Policy Briefs

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 [...]

Political influence on public administration is as old as administration itself. Given that civil servants are the ones who implement government policies, having control over them means controlling the institutions that execute political power and implement policies. This control also opens opportunities for rewarding loyalists and achieving political interests. When reduced to a minimum, such political manoeuvre is less likely to have a lasting impact on an administration’s functioning, but when it becomes overwhelming, a state apparatus can be completely captured by transient political actors, in the service of interests other than public. For a modern democracy, seeking to join the EU, professional and depoliticised civil service is necessary, not only for the sake of fulfilling membership conditions, but to enable society to achieve its socio-economic development potentials, and citizens to exercise their rights. In Serbia, however, international organisations and domestic civil society have reported on the issue of civil service politicisation since the start of democratic transition two decades ago. Still, the depoliticisation process, exceptionally prominent when it comes to the top echelon of the state administration - senior civil service (SCS), has gone unaccomplished to the present day. There are at least three inter-connected aspects of the [...]

Accessibility is considered a priority in a modern-day state administration. As an important precondition for achieving broader societal goals of social inclusion and welfare, accessibility has also become a clear-cut administration issue. Rising demands for accessible administrations - services, building, workplaces – but also for more equitable opportunities for getting jobs, including civil service employment, result from the fast-paced socio-economic and technological changes, which in turn require to accommodate as many needs of the population as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is only one, but largely important example of how suddenly such needs for fast adaptations occur. On their EU accession path, the countries in the Western Balkan region must demonstrate that basic accessibility principles are sufficiently secured, as part of a broader, but fundamental public administration reform. According to international assessments that measure the compliance with such principles, the work is far from done – the legislative and policy frameworks are in place, the digital services accelerated, but mechanisms for improving the accessibility of services are weak across the region. The results of the surveys of civil servants and civil society organisations (CSO) implemented by the WeBER initiative, analysed in this brief, tell a similar story of weak [...]

The issue of corruption persists in Kosovo, as it does in many neighboring countries, and is undoubtedly one of the most significant challenges facing our state. Kosovo has made some modest progress in its battle against corruption, with a slight improvement in its score, reaching 39 points – three more than the previous year – on the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by the international organization Transparency International. However, reports from international organizations and civil society in Kosovo consistently highlight clear legal limitations on discretionary power in the country, along with inadequate implementation and functioning of mechanisms designed to prevent, correct, and even sanction these arbitrary actions or misuse of official authority. This underscores the need for improving and enhancing the effectiveness of the justice institutions in combating corruption. Download the paper here (English) and here (Albanian)