ANNUAL REPORT 2012. 2 3 Impressum: Content: Impressum: Foreword Jelena Berković, Sanja Galeković, Korana Gačić – Fuk, Martina Horvat, Tanja Election System 1. Election lists Kapusta, Nives Miošić, Natalia Mirković, 2. Financing parties and campaigns Srđan Nanić, Tina Novak, 3. Local Elections Duje Prkut, Vanja Škorić, Marina Škrabalo, 4. Referendum Maja Ujević, Dragan Zelić, Danela Žagar, 5. International Cooperation Andreja Žapčić. Good Governance 1. Law and Practice of Access to Information Andreja Sunara Graphic Editor: 2. Transparency of work of the Croatian Parliament and Croatian Government 3. Transparency of the Local Self-Government Units Time and place of adoption: 4. Anti-corruption Policy Assembly of GONG 28 February 2013 5. Open Government Partnership 6. Managing Conflict of Interest Active Citizens and Civil Society 1. Advocacy Network / Platform 112 2. Civil Literacy 3. Advancement of System of Support to the Civil Society 4. Public Media as the Stakeholders of Democratic Processess 5. GONG’s Award for Civil Activism and Development of Democration Croatia and the European Union 1. Chapter 23 – Monitoring and Shadow Reporting 2. Networking at the European Level 3. Transfering Experience into the Region Organization Development Financial Report 4 5 Foreword: As a guest at the occasional ceremony structuring of a new social and political rift. will participate in the process of adoption exists in the sphere of civil society, but which GONG’s birthday, of the most important political decisions, in pervious April, celebrating 15 years of In that rift, there are the established political manifests only in the cases when the citizens Forum, 11 April 2012 work, the Prime Minister, Zoran Milanović, elites at one side and on the other side, the but they will do that after the informed and are sufficiently determined and responsible pointed out that „due to its credibility, GONG citizens who have the increased mistrust to reasoned public discussion. to attempt to upgrade the society they live became an institution which citizens trust“. those elites. On one hand, we are witnessing Aware that the advocacy and the in by their active participation. The non- We have tried to keep that credibility in the self-sufficiency and insensibility of the implementation of the participatory existent social power enables the holders last year as well, conducting ourselves only political elites, with no significant difference democracy model can succeed only in case of economic (the large capital) and political through the main goal of our organization - between the left-wing and the right-wing, when the civil society’s strain on the political power (political elites who do not take need promoting active, responsible and informed who need the citizens only for elections elites is strong enough, last year GONG of the requirements and the interests of participation of citizens in political processes. every four years. On the other hand, there actively participated in work of the Platform the citizens in their acts) to continue with At the same time, the political and social are occurrences of various movements and 112, a fist systematic attempt of the Croatian the practice of promoting particular assets, context of our work was extremely turbulent. citizens’ organizations, some of which are NGOs to show their vision of society we while neglecting public and common assets. The change of government, referendum on also propagating radical political actions, want to live in and to ask the government to Bearing in mind such conditions, promoting the EU accession and the increasingly grave even some non-democratic political undertake active efforts to create such society, participatory democration and fostering business crisis are just some of the important solutions. In such situation, GONG’s actions through networking and common action. It responsible social power will remain the events which significantly change the social attempt to send the message that the exit is the Platform 112, and then GONG as a part main goals of GONG in the future period. and political life in Croatia. Perhaps the in the existent crisis should be looked for of those efforts, that represents an example most important process that we witnessed in development and application of the of making and enforcing the responsible Berto Šalaj, President of the GONG’s Council in the previous year was the beginning of participatory democracy where the citizens social power. It is the power which latently Glas Istre, 22.12.2012, str. 6, A4 Evidencijski broj / Article ID: 13304574 Vrsta novine / Frequency: Dnevna Zemlja porijekla / Country of origin: Hrvatska Rubrika / Section: Novosti 6 7 fictive residences Right to vote for the • The registration of voters who do persons deprived of their not have a residence in Croatia was legal capacity, Glas Istre, introduced 22 December 2012 Electoral System 2. Financing Parties and Campaigns In order to increase transparency of the In order to come up with the complete and the money flows in political processes, GONG was monitoring work of institutions that comprehensive reform of the election legislation, GONG are competent for law enforcement and made the matrix form harmonization and unification was actively advocating improvements of the legislative framework by influencing of all relevant lists into a single election legal code. the positive changes in the bill of the Since the government has shown political will to Political Activity and Electoral Campaign Financing Act. regulate some of the key issues, cooperation with the • Creation of comprehensive archive Ministry of Administration was established and GONG was suggested - a database of actively participated in debates on voters’ list reform, donors for campaigns and political parties and harmonization and on local elections and local self-government and on defining clear technical financial financing political activities and the election marketing. procedures for accepting donations • Further precise obligatory Although GONG did make contribution to the improved publication of advertising legal solutions by making sets of recommendations conditions to the subjects who offer such services during election and analyses for bills, the issues of the referendum, campaigns was proposed, as constituencies, election system for parliamentary well as obligation of the political parties publish their advertising elections, the role of the media in covering the elections costs in details in order to facilitate Slobodnamonitoring Dalmacija, of the7.12.2012, real costs str. 7, inA4 the and the election administration are still unsolved. cooperation with the Self-Advocacy Evidencijskielection broj campaign./ Article ID: 13261124 1. Voters’ Lists Vrsta novine / Frequency: Dnevna Association Zemlja porijekla / Country of origin: Hrvatska on the package of laws on local election • The examples of good practice and Rubrika / Section: Novosti on 12th November at the session of the In order to make the voters’ lists more practice of the European Court of 3. Local Elections parliamentary Local Self-Government reliable, GONG actively participated in Human Rights in Strasbourg were Board. Although the issue of ban of proposing a set of measures and procedures researched in relation to the voters’ When the Local Elections Act and the candidacy for persons convicted for grave GONG: And war criminals which enable reduction of the number rights of persons without legal Local Self-Government Act were amended, crimes e.g. war crimes, crimes against can run the city, Slobod- of fictive voters through amendments of Presscut d.o.o. -- Domagojeva 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia -- tel.: +385 1 4550 385, fax.: +385 1 4550 407 -- www.presscut.hr -- [email protected] capacity while the strategic litigation GONG actively participated in public humanity, abuse of position and power, na Dalmacija, the Act on Permanent Residence of the was initiated in cooperation with the debates which culminated in a debate white-collar crime and war profiteering 12 December 2012 Citizens and the Act on Voters List and Self-Advocacy Association public communication about these topics. • Easier unregistration was enabled At the same time, GONG was advocating and the registration procedure for simplification and regulation of the residence registration voting procedures, especially in relation • The procedure of voting outside to the groups excluded from the political residence in the Republic of Croatia processes. and abroad was eased • Voting organisation in social • The general administration offices institutions and other stationeries were granted independent updating Exercising voting rights of • of the voters+ list regardless of the persons without legal capacity in Presscut d.o.o. -- Domagojeva 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia -- tel.: +385 1 4550 385, fax.: +385 1 4550 407 -- www.presscut.hr -- [email protected] Business.hr-dnevna, 9.1.2012., str. 12, A4 Evidencijski broj / Article ID: 12025172 Vrsta novine / Frequency: Dnevna Zemlja porijekla / Country of origin: Hrvatska Rubrika / Section: 8 9 The Government is committed to ensuring equal dialogue on EU, Business.hr, 9 January 2012 Second GONG debate on Croatian accession to the EU, www.gong.hr, 17 January 2012 of the representative body, which attempt of political will stimulation and was decreased. For example, the returning the public focus to the needed right to appoint and revoke in the changes of the Referendum Act are waiting bodies of the public institutions for results, the