Music Centre’s Contract Secrecy Sparks Transparency Concerns

The ongoing secrecy surrounding contracts at the Music Centre of Montenegro has raised significant concerns about transparency in the use of public funds. Despite previous assurances from the Centre’s Council President, Vili Ferdinandi, regarding a review of their confidentiality regulations, the Council has yet to suspend the Regulation on Business Secrecy. This regulation effectively shields all contracts from public scrutiny, prompting repeated refusals of requests for information from the media.

On February 23, 2025, the Council convened to discuss various agenda items, including the contentious Regulation on Business Secrecy. During this meeting, Vučić Ćetković, the Centre’s Business Director, suggested a reevaluation of the regulation, particularly its alignment with existing legal standards. The Council agreed that a deeper legal analysis was necessary to ensure compliance and legal certainty.

The Music Centre previously implemented the Regulation on Business Secrecy on December 6, 2024, during a meeting led by Vili Ferdinandi. The regulation classifies nearly all documentation related to the institution’s operations as confidential, including contracts funded by the state budget. This has effectively barred public access to information about financial allocations for soloists, guest artists, and other external collaborators involved in concert and ballet productions.

The implications of this regulation became evident when the Centre denied a request from the newspaper Pobjeda for access to contracts established from early 2024 to May 2025. Citing the internal regulation, the Centre argued that disclosing such information would compromise “the interests of the institution.” This interpretation has led to an unusual situation where a public institution withholds details regarding the expenditure of public funds, while similar data is routinely provided by government bodies, ministries, local governments, and other cultural institutions.

Legal experts consulted by Pobjeda emphasize that the Law on the Protection of Business Secrets, which the Council references, primarily pertains to the safeguarding of confidential information in commercial relationships. They assert that it cannot serve as a legal basis for limiting the public’s right to access information in the public sector. They particularly highlight that contracts funded by public money are considered data of public interest under the Law on Free Access to Information, and that internal regulations cannot supersede national laws.

As the Music Centre navigates this complex issue of transparency, the future of public access to information on its operations remains uncertain. The Council’s upcoming discussions and legal analyses will be crucial in determining whether the institution will align its practices with the principles of accountability and public interest.