Should people convicted for the most severe crimes be forbidden to stand in elections?

Zagreb, 11.04.2013 - Nastavak 8. sjednice Hrvatskog sabora. Na slici sabornica prije poèetka sjednice. foto FaH/ Denis CERIÆ/ ik

It is truly a question of vital legal as well as political importance, ensued by moral dilemmas, whilst being indivisible from the development of democratic political culture and accountability of both the state and society. With Croatia being in need of a meticulous and all-encompassing reform of electoral legislation, bearing recent experiences in mind, it…

The Government spends millions on cars, but has no money to fight corruption

Zagreb, 13.03.2013 - Predsjednik Vlade Zoran Milanoviæ, potpredsjednica Vlade i minsitrica vanjskih i europskih poslova Vesna Pusiæ, potpredsjednik Vlade i ministar regionalnoga razvoja i fondova Europske unije Branko Grèiæ, ministar unutarnjih poslova Ranko Ostojiæ i ministar obrane Ante Kotromanoviæ tijekom sjednice Vlade RH. foto FaH/ Tomislav PAVLEK /ds

The Government has got the money for renovation of its vehicle fleet, but has none for the protection of the citizens constitutional rights to access information, though it is one of the basic means for preventing corruption. Perhaps we are not talking about Faberge eggs here, but European gold could remain out of reach for…

Opportunity for meaningful management of conflict of interests

Zagreb, 06.03.2013. - Prva sjednica Povjerenstva za odluèivanje o sukobu interesa održana je u novim prostorijama u ulici Kneza Mutimira u Zagrebu. Na slici ploèa s nazivom Povjerenstva. foto FaH/ Lana SLIVAR DOMINIÆ/ lsd

Decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the Act on prevention of conflict of interest reflects GONG’s and civil society organizations gathered in the Platform 112 attitude, which states that the current law defines and addresses the issue of conflict of interests in completely the wrong way. With this decision the Constitutional Court opened the path…

Will civil society survive Croatia’s accession to EU?

epa03644178 A businessman uses a tablet computer at a park in Tokyo, Japan, 29 March 2013. Japan's unemployment rate edged up by 0.1 percentage points to 4.3 per cent in February 2013, the government said 29 March 2013. The number of unemployed people dropped by 120,000 from a year earlier to 2.77 million, falling year-on-year for the 33rd consecutive month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. EPA/KIYOSHI OTA

The rules of the game concerning financing of civil society organisations will change once Croatia joins the EU, but optimistic statements regarding Croatia’s readiness to access available funds and secure sustainability and continuance of non-governmental sector development are still not justified, even though non-governmental sector represents desirable employer for one in 58 Croatian citizens. The…

How Open is Croatian Government and Why Are They Ignoring Democratization of Democracy?

Zagreb, 13.03.2013 - Predsjednik Vlade Zoran Milanoviæ, potpredsjednica Vlade i minsitrica vanjskih i europskih poslova Vesna Pusiæ, potpredsjednik Vlade i ministar regionalnoga razvoja i fondova Europske unije Branko Grèiæ, ministar unutarnjih poslova Ranko Ostojiæ i ministar obrane Ante Kotromanoviæ tijekom sjednice Vlade RH. foto FaH/ Tomislav PAVLEK /ds

Although certain improvements are notable, in respect of the principles of transparency, „Kukuriku“ Government coalition still has plenty of room to improve its openness to citizens and especially to the media. It is a relevant issue because if the public is not informed, they are not able to adequately question the government, and it is…

How did UK Thanks to Mathematician and Jurist Efficiently Set Out ‘Yes, Minister’

Toward GONG conference anent International Right to Know Day September 28, we have interviewed one of the guests Andrew Stott, who was Director for Transparency and Digital Engagement for the United Kingdom Government. He led the work to open up government data and create ‘data.gov.uk‘. Toward GONG conference anent International Right to Know Day September…