MANS welcomes the initiation of the investigation of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office regarding the pilot project of the Employment Agency of Montenegro (EAM) entitled “Program for training and work engagement for youth to prevent gray economy”, because we on May of 25th this year filed criminal charges against the former director of the Agency Vukica Jelic and President of the Board of Directors Ranka Pavicevic.
Vukica Jelic
They are suspected of illegally launching a pilot project worth 200 thousand euros, by which is planned to be employed 100 university graduates starting fro October 2016, since the work program of the Employment Agency of Montenegro for 2016 does not provide the implementation of this project and special funds for its implementation are not granted.
In addition, nor by the National Strategy for Employment and Human Resources Development 2016-2020 is not specifically defined pilot project for training and work opportunities for youth to prevent the gray economy, but merely outlines that the work against the gray economy should be implemented.
The program of training and work opportunities for young to prevent the gray economy, which the Government adopted in early May of this year, initially planned that the project partners are the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, Tax Administration and Administration for Inspection Affairs.
However, a public invitation from May 18th this list was reduced to the Administration for Inspection Affairs, Tax Administration and the Police, and are no longer referred to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Interior, which, in the meantime, are managed by the ministers from opposition parties.
In the invitation is stated that the program will be implemented through the EU project “Active measures for employment at the labor market”, which are partners the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, which leads to the conclusion that the funds for payment could be withdrawn from budgetary positions of one of the two ministries, or possibly both.
Under the program, employed young should provide technical assistance in the registration of taxpayers, contributions and insurance, control of correctness of registration applications and the decision on registration, the application of positive tax regulations, the application and processing of tax returns, processing and returns of tax records, work of call centers, realization of the project “Be responsible” and other inspection services established by the operational work plan.
The program should be implemented for a period of four months, starting from May 25th 2016, and the program activities would be implemented in the territory of the Capital City, Royal Capital and all municipalities in Montenegro. Direct target group consists 100 unemployed persons with acquired higher education, age up to 29 years, with work experience no less than nine months. The monthly salary is 300 euros.
Since in the October 2016 parliamentary elections are planned in Montenegro, it is justifiable the suspicion that consciously is projected date for the publication of a public invitation to unemployed persons for participation in the said program, in order to in the pre-election period provide emergency employment and thus achieve political advantage on the ground.
MANS late last year against Jelic and Pavicevic filed separate criminal charges for abuse of official power regarding launching three programs in the EAM total value of 750 thousand euros without a prior approval of the Commission for State Aid Control, and without the allocated budgetary funds. These programs, which planned employment of nearly 800 people, were emergency launched in late September, and in the coming period realized the publication of invitations and employment.
Earlier this year Vukica Jelic in the Parliament of Montenegro said that unemployment is the most important issue that bothers the citizens in the elections, and that “her task is to implement the the program that the Democratic Party of Socialists promised to the citizens regarding employment”. “The winner in the elections will be the party which offers ideas and solutions on how to solve this problem, what to do to get people employed. For each employee people will not vote with four votes, rather than with ten, because citizens will trust those parties who know how to solve the problem”, said Jelic.
Finally we point to the extent of transparency and legality in managing of the EAM by Vukica Jelic by the fact that our requirements under the Law on Free Access to Information she refused on the ground that MANS wants to “misuse them” for research and publication of information in the public.
MANS
