Italy’s not in the Balkans, but it is — your words — “in the neighborhood”. And I can say from personal experience that Podgorica-Bari is a lot faster and easier than Podgorica-Sarajevo.

So Montenegro improved by a tenth of a point. Wonderful! You’re now equal to India, Senegal and Madagascar.

Of course, over the same period Albania jumped by 0.7 points — a much more dramatic increase. They’re tied with you now. Interesting, no?

As to “intolerant of criticism”, let me know when the killers of _Dan_ editor Dusko Jovanovic are convicted. Not to mention the guys who killed Slavoljub Scekic, the cop who was investigating his case. Or the guys who beat up author Jevrem Brkovic, sport journalist Mladen Stojovic, editor Zeljko Ivanovic, or radio journalist Tufik Softic.

And then of course there are the lawsuits against journalists, like the ones brought by PM Djukanovic against Ivanovic and everyone else at _Vijesti_. The court awarded Djukanovic 20,000 Euros for that. Which is pretty amusing, since the President of the court had his own anti-journalist lawsuit going at the same time, against Peter Komnenic of _Monitor_.

As for links to regional criminal elites… come on. The Italian prosecutors are crazy or wrong? The “cigarette transit business” was conducted without links to organized crime? Djukanovic’s brother Aco is clean? All that money in Prva Crnogorska Banka came from the Prime Minister’s salary? Okay, if you say so…

Of course, Montenegro /is/ unusual in one way: unlike everyplace else in the Balkans, people trust the government:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/106054/Trust-Favors-Incumbent-Montenegro-Election.aspx

Anyway. If, in another two or three years, Montenegro is doing much better — then sure, I’ll post again about it.

Doug M.

2008 Confidence CPI score

Croatia ________ 4.4
Romania ________ 3.8
Bulgaria _______ 3.6
Macedonia ____ 3.6
Albania ________ 3.4
Montenegro _____ 3.4
Serbia _________ 3.4
Bosnia & Herz. _ 3.2

Source: http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/cpi2008/cpi_2008_table

As data shows, situation in Montenegro is, as I have said, NOT WORSE than in the NEIGHBORHOOD. Corruption Perception Index is SAME (equal, equivalent, identical, adequate analogous, match, at par etc – hope you would catch the essence) as in Albania and Serbia, better then in Bosnia even very similar to index in Romania and Bulgaria – countries that are EU members.

Furthermore, processes are much important than sole indexes: Comparing last year’s index – Montenegro is up (better) 0.1, Serbia has same result, Bosnia is 0.1 down etc.

Imputation has been, for years, Montenegro enemies’ and Montengro independence opposers’ weapon.

P.S. I have mentioned Montenegro’s neighbors in the Balkans. Believe or not, Italy is NOT in the Balkans; Greece, Bulgaria and Romania are not Montenegro’s neighbors. (But neighbor is Bosnia Ex Yugoslav republic which you “accidentally” missed.) Hope you do not need a hint to show Montenegro on the map.

Really? Let’s see what our friends at Transparency International have to say.

Corruption Perception Index, 2007

Italy 5.2
Greece 4.6
Croatia 4.1
Bulgaria 4.1
Romania 3.7
Serbia 3.4
Montenegro 3.3

Montenegro is tied with Jamaica, Lesotho and Swaziland. You do beat Albania, though.

Doug M.