CRNVO: Cooperation of State Administration and NGOs Unsatisfactory

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The report from the continuous monitoring of the implementation of Regulation on Manner and Procedures for Cooperation Between State Administration Bodies and NGOs, implemented by the Centre for Development of Non-Governmental Organisation (CRNVO), from Podgorica, shows that the cooperation is far from satisfying and that too few state bodies and institutions in Montenegro maintain regular cooperation with the NGOs. The Report was released last Friday, October 5, 2012.

The results of the monitoring show that just six of the 30 state administration bodies – ministries and independent administrative bodies – met the legal requirement to consult NGOs in the process of drafting and adoption of bylaws listed in their annual work plans (strategies, analysis, draft legislation, other regulations and bylaws that regulate the manner of realisation of the rights and freedoms of citizens).

Of the six ministries and independent bodies that did consult NGOs, just three institutions published a total of five reports on the conducted consultations on their websites, while the other ministries that did respond to CRNVO’s inquiry noted that there were no legal acts or bylaws in their working plans for which they conducted proper consultations with the NGO sector.

The Report notes the weak results in terms of the obligation to invite NGOs to nominate and appoint their representatives in public administration's working groups and bodies, and it also notes that just one third of all administrative bodies (15 out of 51) met the legal requirement to post contact information of members of staff charged with contacts with nongovernmental organisations.

CRNVO conducts the continuous monitoring of the implementation of the Regulation from the day it entered into force, February 7, 2012. The Regulation regulates the manner and procedure of cooperation between state administration and NGOs, the criteria and procedure for appointement of NGO representatives in working groups and other bodies established by state administration bodies.

The survey was conducted with requests for information, under the Freedom of Information Law (sent to 51 state administration bodies on September 7, 2012), and with regular and continuous searches of internet sites of state administration bodies and e-uprava portal.

The detailed findings of the monitoring are available as PDF document on CRNVO website. (Source: CRNVO)