PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

ACTIVITIES 2000 - 2002

PROGRESS

In 2000 and 2001, the main goal of the Foundation was to support reform commitments and convey them in the form of concrete projects of changes. OSI foundation in Montenegro focused its activities within this program on two major issues: support to the Institute for Public Administration, Judiciary, and Local Government (IPAJLG) and development of local authorities as well as local NGOs.

Regarding IPAJLG, the aim was to found a professional institution that would co-ordinate reform activities, engage experts, prepare project documentation, and act as a communication channel among expert teams, the Ministry of Justice, the public, and donors. Original mandate of the Institute was also to follow reform processes in public administration, judiciary and local self-government in terms of capacity building of the civil servants, developing their skills and knowledge.

In late 1999, co-founders (Ministry of Justice, ABA/CEELI, Association of Lawyers, Association of Judges and the Law Faculty) provided facilities, equipment and expertise for IPAJLG. FOSI invested 50,000 $ for day-to-day activities.

However, accomplishments of IPAJLG did not correspond to expectations, particularly in the sphere of key reform projects. The reasons lie in inadequate professional resources, non-regular funding (the Government of Montenegro did not have a separate/specified budget line for financing of the Institute). An additional problem in the reform was the fact that the whole process was politically dependent and limited to exclusively two entities - the Ministry of Justice and the IPAJLG. Minister of Justice, appointed by People’s Party, resigned after his party left ruling coalition in 2001, the fact that additionally put the operations of IPAJLG on the margin. Declared political commitment of the Government toward the public administration reform was not accompanied by relevant legislation¹. Also, the Government itself never budgeted more than 25 percent of what it calculated its own reform plans would cost.  Foreign donors   covered 75 percent of the reform bill, but there were no proper coordination among donors in whole process.

The other focuses of FOSI activities were local authorities and the civil sector. Project support realized through a public tender contributed to the changes in the functioning of a large number of municipalities in Montenegro, primarily by increasing the competence and efficiency of their work (e.g. Tehnical education for civil servants in municipality of Mojkovac; Increasing of the quality of work according to the ISO 9000:2000-Municipality of Niksic).  It also made possible the setting up connections between the non-government and government agencies (e.g. Strength of the democratic processes in Montenegro, on local level, NGO Centre for developing of NGO; Public discussions on draft Law on Local Self Government, draft Law on Teritorialy organization and pre-draft Law on Financing of Local Self Government, NGO Agency for Local democracy and Partnership, Montenegro).

Within this activity heterogeneous co-operation has been established with large number of municipalities in Montenegro, which is particularly important for those which institutions are not enough developed (e.g. Program of increasing of work of local government organs in municipality of Andrijevica).

Due to the reorganization of OSIM, during 2002, few activities have been undertaken (e.g. support to the process of establishing of Institution of Ombudsman in Montenegro).

1 In Public Administration area three laws are prepared and waits for further procedure (Law on Public Administration, Law on Inspection, Law on Ombudsman).

In Local Government area three laws are in Parliamentary procedure (Law on Local Self Government, Law on Financing of the Local Self Government, Law on Election of Mayors) and two are prepared and waits for further procedure (Law on Capital City, Law on Historical Capital). (back)