Instead that Montenegro have received a serious Action Plan, which was produced as a product of inter-ministerial working group - we have faced with the compromise of the entire process that as the result has creation and adoption of strategic documents for the fight against corruption, which is, in significant part, full of propaganda declarative content.
The adoption of the Strategy and Action Plan, by the accelerated procedure, excluding non-governmental organizations from the process, represents an indicator of the closeness of government for any suggestions that do not agree with their official rhetoric. Suggestions of international experts, European Commission and the views of civil society have been dominantly ignored and it has been represented another declarative document that will remain, largely as a dead letter on the paper. This plan, mostly, instead of key measures to combat corruption, contains roughly placed political proclamations and set of propaganda-preventive activities. Members of the working group, appointed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, with a mandate to create an Action Plan, for its existence found out from the media.
It is not surprising, the intention to adopt strategic documents before the preparation of reports on progress, and acceptance of Montenegrin candidacy, but it could also be achieved by including those who decide on the work of working group, rather than creating a parallel working groups, while the official one simulates the process. A very bad message has been sent, that the official Podgorica is not interested in real progress in the accession process, but only to move to a higher formal step.
Instead of real change, real progress in the fight against corruption and organized crime, this process is converted into what we could call “facade fight against corruption", which abounds in numerous simulations, and with escape from dealing with the alarming situation.
The political will to fight against corruption cannot be expressed with political pamphlets, but with objective review of the situation, creation of effective measures for the fight and sharp clash with holders of criminal activity.
The Action Plan, which should have provide the key activities aimed at combating corruption and organized crime for the next two years, was brought in just seven days after the conclusion of public debate on the text of the Strategy for the fight against corruption and organized crime. During this time it was not possible to bring any good quality strategic documents, of what testifies the text of the Action Plan, which was not even consistent neither with the Strategy. The best example of the quality of this document is the area of sports, which is in the title of chapter of the Action Plan, but there is not a goal or measure that is associated with it - even the objectives of the strategy dealing with this issue have not been passed to the Action Plan.
The only thing related to the Action Plan which was agreed at the working group is action plan matrix, which was significantly improved compared to the last one, because it had clearly defined time frame for the beginning and end of the implementation of planned measures, indicators of the processes and results. However, due to lack of time or lack of will to adopt the matrix on which it would be able to assess clearly the degree of implementation of planned measures - it is simply taken from the matrix of the previous years, which allows quantitative evaluation of implemented activities.
The working group, to which the Minister of Internal Affairs gave a mandate to create the Action Plan, was not aware of parallel activities on the development of this plan, but members of this body, at least part of them, on the existence and adoption of this document, have been informed by the media.
It is clear that European integration is a priority of Montenegro, but unfortunately it is even clearer that the Government intends to achieve this priority by building Potemkin’s villages, rather than the required reforms. Montenegro has had an excellent opportunity to learn from mistakes of Bulgaria and Romania, on what effect cause "facade reforms” but its government has realized these mistakes as a successful recipe of accession to the EU, which should be observed. Such an action constitutes a serious underestimation of EU institutions and gambling with the fate of Montenegro.
It is clear that such an act of the Government, among other things, represents a demonstration of power caused by strong reactions of civil society on the amended text of the Strategy. After the attempt to provide the Strategy with refer "created with the participation and support of civil society” has failed, the Government has decided that, in principle “because we can" without further explanation, completely exclude civil society from creation of the Action Plan.
