Institut alternativa calls for oversight of Montenegro's Government Secretariat

The non-governmental organization Institut alternativa has requested that the Agency for Protection of Personal Data and Free Access to Information (AZLP) launch an oversight investigation into the General Secretariat of the Government. The request, submitted on September 28 to coincide with the International Day to Know the Truth, alleges that the government is failing to publish complete meeting agendas.

According to the organization, since the new Law on Free Access to Information began being applied in July, they have identified 37 agenda items that lack descriptive titles. Instead of specific topics, these items are merely labeled as ‘INTERNO’. The review found 24 such instances across six regular sessions and 13 across six telephone sessions. The highest concentration occurred during the 139th session on September 24, which contained eight unnamed items.

Executive Coordinator Dragana Jaćimović stated that the law requires the publication of item names even for portions of sessions held behind closed doors, noting that secrecy laws protect the content of materials rather than the existence of the agenda item itself. Institut alternativa has urged the AZLP to review the agendas, order corrections for past omissions, and consider measures for potential legal violations.