Action plan – Asturias, Spain, 2022 – 2023

At-a-Glance

Duration

May 2023

Date Submitted

29th November 2022

Foreword(s)

The current government administration understand that the challenges being faced by the Asturian society can only be resolved if transparency, participation, open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici..., accountability and public innovation are at the core of our political action.

The entry into force of Law 19/2013, of 9 December, on Transparency, Access to Information and Good Governance at state level, followed by the Law 8/2018, of 14 September, on Transparency, Good Governance and Interest Groups of the Principality of Asturias, has meant a boost in the development of open government plans.

In order to comply with this mandate, this administration has taken an active role in the development of the IV Open Government Plan for Spain (2020-2024). At the regional level, a work plan has been designed in which, with the participation of citizens and different social agents, it is made up of different phases and processes.

The ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... of this action plan is to adopt measures and instruments that contribute to better public decision-making, promote transparent, participatory, inclusive and accountable governance. It also aims to implement innovation and offer more effective and efficient services, taking into account all relevant aspects, including the opinions and demands of citizens, as well as evaluation in all its facets.

This plan has been designed in collaboration with the representatives of the public administration, social entities and Asturian citizens. Hence, the first premise of this Local Action Plan refers to awareness-raising, educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... and training.

The short implementation period of the Action Plan has conditioned its scope, but it has nevertheless been an ambitious and innovative plan. It includes two clear and concrete commitments that are a first step to further expand the responsiveness of this administration in the following areas: transparency, participation, open data, accountability and public innovation.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

This subsection details the Open Government Strategic Vision in your local area that should guide the commitments for the action plan period.

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

Since the beginning of this administration’s mandate, different actions have been developed to implement initiatives that improve key aspects such as transparency, participation, open data, accountability, and public innovation.

The vision embodied in this document is to adopt measures and instruments that contribute to better public decision making, as well as to implement innovation and offer more effective and efficient services, taking into account all relevant aspects, among which the opinion and demands of the public, as well as evaluation in all its facets, undoubtedly stand out.

This long-term vision focuses on two main axes:

• Ensure inclusive, participatory and representative decision making that responds to the needs of the population.
• Ensure public access to information

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

• Law of the Principality of Asturias 8/2018, on Transparency, Good Governance and Interest Groups,
• The Transparency Portal topped the best rating, among all the websites of all the public administrations analysed by the Transparency and Good Governance Council of Spain during the years 2020 and 2021.
• The latest report by the University of Gothenburg about the quality of governments places the Principality of Asturias in fourth position.
• The Principality of Asturias joined the Open Data Charter (April, 2021): a collaborative project between governments and organizations which are working together to promote policies and practices.
• 1396 datasets are currently published on the Government of Spain’s opendata portal.
• Production of audiovisual materials for citizens and development of courses on transparency, good governance, open government, accountability and citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More for public employees.
• The Participation Portal and the continuous collaboration with different public entities in various spaces for raising awareness and disseminating social participation.
• The creation of Transparency Units in each Regional Ministry.
• Creation in collaboration with the University of Oviedo of the Rafael del Riego Chair of Good Governance (June, 2022) and the Open Government Forum (August, 2021).
• Publication of the White Paper on Participation.
• The Plaza Mayor Project for citizen participation (May, 2022).

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

The main challenges facing this administration are the strengthening of public institutions, greater citizen participation in public affairs and the development of mechanisms to ensure a transparence and accountable governance.  For this reason, our administration is developing different action plans in the field of Open Government, structured in the following main axes:

Transparency: a major effort has been made to deepen administrative transparency. Through the training and involvement of public employees and promoting the re-use of public information. The aim is to add value to the data held by the public sector and make it available to the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More and citizens (external), as well as for the benefit of the public sector itself (internal).

Open Data: Since the launch of the open data portal http://www.datos.gob.es, this administration has been expanding the range of data provided (1396 datasets). The challenge is to increase the number of data published as well as the thematic areas in the coming years.

Citizen participation: There are various mechanisms that allow citizen participation to be articulated. The challenge is to deepen the processes of citizen participation in order to ensure the open contribution of citizens and guarantee a quality participation and a real effect on the social transformation.

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

This administration wants to prioritise actions that contribute to the strengthening of the institutions and to greater citizen participation in public affairs and in the control of the administration’s activities. In this respect, the medium-term objectives should be highlighted:

• Promote the transparency of the regional government and administration towards society.
• Strengthening cooperation, collaboration and participation with citizens and other agents.

To provide public services that are innovative, inclusive, and adapted to the real needs of citizens.

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

The action plan is an effective tool for achieving the Open Government Strategic Vision. This is because it brings in a single document, as a roadmap, the detailed study of the real problems to be solved, the design of actions to be developed, the implementation program and the evaluation of the achievement.

Since the beginning of this administration’s mandate, the need to work for Open Government has become a priority. In this sense, being part of the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More is one of the main achievements. This strategic vision allows us to align the policy objectives of this administration with the needs raised by citizens during the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive....

The commitments contained in the first action plan are the starting point for advancing the long-term objectives.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

This action plan includes the first commitments made by this Administration to increase the transparency and accountability, improve participation, raise awareness among citizens and public employees regarding Open Government, with the aim of contributing to a more just, peaceful, and inclusive society.

This first action plan focuses on the flowing areas:

1.- Promoting citizen empowerment through access to reliable information. To improve knowledge and understanding of the legal system, as well as the dissemination of legal information that provides added value to citizens, professionals and companies, by making available electronic codes with consolidated legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r... in different thematic areas agreed by consensus through citizen participation.

2.- The creation, maintenance, and expansion of a Public Information Catalogue as an instrument of active publicity. The publication of content and information related to the operation and control of the performance in a proactive way allows to offer added value to citizens beyond what is required by law. It is a commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... of the different public agents to publish the information that they generate in the exercise of their powers and which they consider It must be known to the public.

3.- Expansion of open data sets to enable citizens to examine and use public information in a more transparent, collaborative, efficient and productive manner.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• Government of the Principality of Asturias. General Directorate of Public Governance, Transparency,
• Open Government Forum

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

Within the scope of the Administration of the Principality of Asturias and its public bodies and entities, as well as the trading companies and foundations in which they have direct or indirect majority participation or effective control, there are transparency units. These units depend on the General Technical Secretariats of the different Departments or equivalent body and are coordinated and advised by the Regional Ministry of Presidency.

This network of transparency units is the coordination channel for the different government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan.

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

In order to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan, several offline and online spaces were used.

The most relevant of these are described below:

• Face-to-face meetings with members and working groups of the open government forum and representatives of stakeholder groups.
• Meeting with the Open Government Forum at the pavilion. Pavilion of the Principality of Asturias at the International Trade Fair of Asturias (Gijón, Spain).
• Asturias Participa portal web
• E-mail communications

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

In order to ensure maximum citizen participation and diversity in the OGP Action Plan co-creation process, two main actions were taken to encourage their incorporation:

• The constitution of the Open Government Forum, in which a series of relevant associations and institutions of Asturian civil society are represented, a body that operates through regular meetings, and a permanent commission. In order to communicate with citizens, the minutes of its agreements are published on the Principality’s Transparency Portal website and disseminated through press releases, with the aim of being open to suggestions from citizens on this same website.
• The invitation to civic organisations, spokespersons for different interests, to a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer responsible for the matter, representing the Government of the Principality of Asturias, in order to gather their opinions and suggestions. This meeting, held in FIDMA (Gijón), was attended by citizen participation organisations such as the Red Cross, Edes and the Foundation for Social Action, among others. Suggestions were gathered on the design of the Plan and working groups were set up for the subsequent development of each of the three central commitments. Subsequent information has been exchanged within these groups via e-mail, mainly.

Who participated in these spaces?

The following groups participated in the co-creation process:

• Citizens through the Asturias Participa portal
• Members of Open Forum, consisting of:

1. Presidency: The person in charge of the Department.
2. Vice-presidency: The person in charge of the Directorate-General responsible for open government.
3. Twelve members, according to the following distribution:
   • Five representatives of the Regional Ministries of the Administration of the Principality of Asturias, with competences in the areas of YouthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More, Health, Social Services, Rural Affairs and Employment.
   • One representing the Asturian Federation of Councils (FACC).
   • One representing the University of Oviedo.
   • One representing the Royal Asturian Academy of Jurisprudence.
   • Four representing Associations and Foundations, subject to a prior call by the Regional Ministry.

University of Oviedo through the Chairs of Public Governance and Agenda 2030

How many groups participated in these spaces?

6

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation process?

4

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

The Asturias Participa portal is an instrument for citizen participation integrated into the daily work of this Administration. This Action Plan highlights its function as a framework for communication between citizens and the administration, as well as the need to reinforce the participation of the entire population in it. A communication plan has been designed for different groups (schoolchildren, young people, the elderly and rural areas) in order to reinforce and encourage citizen participation and to give continuity to the collaboration.

Similarly, the Open Government Forum is a collegiate body set up to establish, through the participation of civil society, the possibility of dialogue and debate, as well as the channelling and promotion of open government proposals, with the intention of debating the development of Open Government Action Plans and the exchange of good practices. These are the foundations on which the future of this Forum is based, with the aim of strengthening the mechanisms for participation and dialogue with civil society, ensuring that open government actions and their implementation respond to the real needs of citizens.

The Chairs in Public Governance and Agenda 2030 of the University of Oviedo are a firm commitment to present and future collaboration between the academic institution and this administration to transfer knowledge and specialised experience to students in the field of public governance and Agenda 2030.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

For the selection of the monitoring body, a public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... More process was carried out in which four entities with extensive experience were invited to participate. After the deadline for submission of bids. Only one bid was submitted to this procurement process. This is a Public Management Research Group formed by professors and lecturers from the University of Oviedo and the University of Extremadura with extensive experience in the field of evaluation of public services and policies with various institutions and governments. This research group is coordinated by the Professor of Applied Economics, Javier Suárez Pandiello, and also includes the University of Oviedo professors María de los Ángeles García Valiñas (also Professor of Applied Economics) and Manuel Antonio Muñiz Pérez (Professor of Applied Economics). The team also includes a group of professors from the University of Extremadura, experts in the field and who are also researchers in the aforementioned group in Public Management, the professors of Applied Economics Francisco Pedraja Chaparro and José Manuel Cordero Ferrera and the Associate Professor of Applied Economics Rosa Simancas García.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Manuel Antonio Muñiz Perez, Public Management Research Group, manumuni@uniovi.es

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

The discussion of the progress of the Action Plan and the active communication of its advances to the social agents will take place mainly through the Open Government Forum, which has planned plenary meetings during the months of December and January, in addition to the functioning of its permanent commission. Likewise, there is an agenda open to subsequent thematic meetings of the different working groups, depending on the development of each of the commitments.

Regarding the monitoring of these activities by the general public, it is planned to publish the agreements and the partial progress of the Action Plan on the Principality’s Transparency Portal website.

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

Regular coordination and follow-up meetings are planned between the two parties involved in the continuous monitoring: the group promoting the Plan from the Government of the Principality, with technical representatives from the corresponding thematic areas of each of the three commitments, and the Public Management Research Group, as the entity responsible for monitoring the OGP Action Plan.

The frequency of these meetings will depend on the progress and the specific problems of each of the three commitments. There is also a daily and continuous open communication channel via e-mail between the two agents involved in the evaluation.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

The results of the different evaluation reports will be communicated to the social representatives in the Open Government Forum, and will be published on the Principality of Asturias Transparency Portal website as a means of communication to the general public.

Likewise, the dissemination of each of these publications on the internet will be carried out through the official social networks (Facebook and Twitter) of Open Government.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

Ley del Principado de Asturias de Transparencia, Buen Gobierno y Grupos de Interés
Biblioteca juridica digital asturiana codigos electronicos