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Montenegro should scrap draft legislation that would allow the government to hide information about public spending, as such a law would open the door for corruption and undermine the country\u2019s EU membership negotiations, activists say.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Defence will hold held a public hearing on Tuesday about its proposed amendment to the Law on Classified Information, which would enable government bodies to withhold information if they decide that releasing it would impede their ability\u00a0to \u201cperform their activities.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Critics say the wording of the amendment would be interpreted far too\u00a0broadly, allowing the government to classify information that is in the\u00a0public interest, including – but not limited to – state spending.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly it would enable much activity related to spending of public\u00a0funds to be hidden from public view,\u201d<\/strong> said Helen Darbishire<\/strong>, Executive\u00a0Director of Access Info Europe, a Madrid-based advocacy group.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd where there is no transparency, corruption can flourish unheeded,\u00a0unchecked, unknown to the public,<\/strong>\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n Darbishire said the amendments would violate treaties Montenegro has\u00a0signed such as the United Nations International Convention on Civil and\u00a0Political Rights, as well as commitments made as part of its accession\u00a0to the EU.<\/p>\n Rule of law, including access to information, is of \u201cpivotal importance\u201d\u00a0to the EU, said the Union\u2019s ambassador to Montenegro Aivo Orav<\/strong> in emailed comments.<\/p>\n \u201cThe delegation of the European Union to Montenegro is carefully\u00a0following this issue as we attach utmost importance to the right of any\u00a0individual to seek and receive information effectively from public\u00a0bodies<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In its most recent report on Montenegro\u2019s process of accession, the\u00a0European Commission urged more transparency and said it was concerned\u00a0about the increasing practice of government bodies to declare documents\u00a0as classified.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Defence declined to comment other than saying it opened\u00a0public hearings about the amendment on June 11. However, Tuesday\u2019s event in the capital of Podgorica is the only public hearing scheduled to take place about this issue.<\/p>\n Montenegrin officials have repeatedly faced allegations of corruption,\u00a0including facilitating money laundering for criminal organisations\u00a0through a bank owned by the family of President Milo Djukanovic, who has\u00a0been in power for three decades.<\/p>\n