Action plan – Basque Country, Spain, 2025 – 2028

At-a-Glance

Duration

May 2028

Date Submitted

September 2025

Foreword(s)

The Basque Country was selected in the year 2018 as one of the new participants of the programme of the Local Governments of the Partnership for the Open Government. The Basque candidacy was a multilevel and multi-agent one, counting on the participation of the Basque Government, the 3 Foral Provincial Councils, and the Town Halls of the 3 capitals, apart from counting on an important presence of civil society.

From that moment, the Basque Country, as a member of the OGP, has designed and implemented 2 action plans:

ACTION PLAN FOR THE OPEN GOVERNMENT IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY 2018-2020

1. Accountability by means of the mandate plans.
2. 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... Euskadi and Linked Open Data.
3. I-lab of 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 in the Basque Country
4. Open Eskola: open school for the citizenry.
5. Basque system of integrity

ACTION PLAN FOR THE OPEN GOVERNMENT IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY 2021-2024

1. COVID-19 observatory in the city and adaptation of services for the citizens.
2. A transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More and accountability tool regarding the budgetary area.
3. Open Eskola: development and strengthening of the citizens.
4. A tool to boost the compilation of proposals and adherence to legislative/ regulatory/ statutory popular initiatives in the Basque Country.
5. Altxor: Online service and blended show offices to inform, orient, arbitrate, and support the vital projects of the senior citizens.

The Basque Country is now implementing its III Action Plan, that comprehends 4 commitments and keeps some of the elements of the previous action plans, such as the importance of translation to the municipal field of the methodologies and products that are developed through this new Plan, to transfer the whole potential of the Open Government to the whole Basque population.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

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

Our long-term vision for the Open Government integrates 3 essential elements:

• First of all, the concept of an Open Government as a RIGHT to have access to the information and the public data and to participate in the decision – making process.
• In a second place, the Open Government as a CROSS-CUTTING PRINCIPLE that must permeate the whole of the public management. In this sense, it is necessary to count on the 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 institutions- and also on that of other stakeholders of the civil society and to deepen a more real and effective Open Government.
• And last, the different elements of the Open Government as MANAGEMENT AREAS, fully integrated in the organisational culture and the management (planning, execution, evaluation) of the organisations, with an efficient and effective development of the above mentioned management.

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

In the Basque Country, the Open Government comes to fruition in a continuous commitment and practise of good governance to achieve the transparency, participation, and collaboration that must be developed at the 3 institutional levels and also in the entities of civil society.

In order to achieve this, over the years and in a very special way, in the OGP action plans, an ecosystem of agents and instruments linked to the Open Government has been developed, and they include the following elements:

• Regulatory development.
• Portals and web platforms with transparency, civic participation, open data, and accountancy.
• Spaces and bodies of civic and social participation (Councils, Forums…).
• Pilot projects to experiment with new methods of collaborative work.
• Training programmes.
• Systems of accreditation and recognition.

This is the ecosystem where the strength of the practise of the Open Government in the Basque Country lies.

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

The III Action Plan aims to address three primary goals:

GOALS REGARDING CIVIC PARTICIPATION

• To improve active listening and identify the needs and expectations of citizens at an early stage.
• To achieve higher engagement in the participatory processes that are developed.
• To design innovative and efficient tools that contribute added value to civic participation.
• To conclude participatory processes properly, reporting the outcomes back to society along with the impact generated by the debate or reflection.
• To bridge the gap between civic participation and disengaged groups. Specifically, the Plan will focus on the essential improvement of child, adolescent, and juvenile participation.

GOALS REGARDING EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• To define and activate a conceptual framework that boosts the evaluation of policies, services, and public programs as a basis for continuous improvement and accountability.
• To integrate evaluation and accountability as essential activities within a system of advanced governance.

CROSS-CUTTING GOALS REGARDING THE EXTENSION OF OPEN GOVERNMENT

• To offer tools adapted to the reality of smaller municipalities so that Open Government becomes a reality at every administrative level.
• To train Public Administration staff and other stakeholders so they can act as driving forces for the extension of Open Government in the Basque Country.

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

The ones mentioned in point 4.3. All these goals merge in the big goal of keeping on improving the democratic quality of the Basque Country.

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

We can highlight 4 big contributing elements:

• The Plan underscores the big challenges linked to the strategic vision of the Open Government, shared by both the institutions and the civil society.
• The Plan integrates not only the demands of civil society, but also its commitment for organisations to become fully engaged with the Open Government, that collaborate for the compliance of this goal.
• It is especially focused on supporting the institutions that have fewer resources and knowledge available.
• Collaboration is highlighted as a cross-cutting instrument in the 4 defined commitments.

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

As previously mentioned, it is impossible to talk about sustainable development if it is not based on solid institutions and stakeholders, with high management capacity and oriented to the needs and expectations of their interest groups.

It is not possible to talk about sustainable development if decisions are made from the top down. It is indispensable to count on the voices of citizens and relevant stakeholders in the territory to generate and implement high-impact solutions to increasingly complex, interrelated problems. Moreover, civic and social participation contributes to the value of consensus and involvement, transforming participation into collaboration.

Besides this participation, it is essential to ensure an adequate evaluation of policies, programmes, and public services, together with effective accountability that allows showing the impact achieved and the resources used.

Therefore, Open Government must be an essential part of the policies elaborated by every public administration and any private or social stakeholder seeking to meet the expectations of their interest groups and count on solid strategies supported by society and generating maximum public value, as well as effective channels to render account of initiatives and commitments derived from sufficient and efficient evaluation of the policies, services and programmes developed.

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.

• Directorate for Open Government, Regional Ministry of Governance, Digital Administration and Self- G

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

The implementation of the OGP Action Plan in the Basque Country is supported by a structured coordination framework combining governmental leadership and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

At the institutional level, the responsibility for the action plan falls on the Directorate for Open Government within the Regional Ministry of Governance, Digital Administration, and Self-Government of the Basque Government. This Directorate provides strategic oversight, ensures interdepartmental coordination, and monitors implementation.

Each commitment integrates public and private entities that share co-responsibility for its implementation, as detailed in Part II of each commitment.

Since 2018, OGP Basque Country has established several permanent structures aligned with OGP principles:

Promoter Group – Entities that supported the Basque Country’s candidacy and commit to driving the action plans, allocating resources, defining processes, and ensuring compliance with OGP standards.

Open Forum – An open participatory body with a two-way constant interaction combining a digital platform and in-person deliberative meetings to monitor and evaluate implementation.

Working Parties (by commitment) – Operational groups created for each commitment, composed of relevant public institutions and civil society representatives to ensure effective execution and civic participation.

Together, these arrangements ensure leadership, coordination, and sustained stakeholder engagement.

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.

The Plan was developed through four phases:

Phase 1: Identification of potential thematic priorities and commitments.
Phase 2: Selection of commitments.
Phase 3: Definition and detailing of commitments.
Phase 4: Drafting of the Plan.

All phases included participatory activities. In Phase 1, a public survey was opened to citizens, and stakeholders in the Open Forum completed forms proposing potential commitments. In Phase 2, a deliberative Open Forum workshop (April 29, San Sebastián) selected commitments, followed by validation by the Promoting Group (June 6, Vitoria-Gasteiz). Phase 3 consisted of working sessions for each commitment with interested stakeholders, including Open Forum members and invited participants. In Phase 4, the Open Forum validated the full Plan (September 17, Vitoria-Gasteiz).

A total of 802 people participated. The process was conducted through an open debate on Irekia, the Basque Government’s citizen participation platform, including an online survey available from March 10 to 31. The survey had two parts: an assessment of participants’ positions and personal experiences with Open Government, and the expression of priorities and proposals for the III Action Plan.

Results show that citizens consider all Open Government fields to be high or very high priorities.

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

There are both in the Regular Forum and in the Open Forum, bodies representing these groups, what guarantees the integration of their vision and specific needs.

Who participated in these spaces?

• Basque Government.
• Foral Provincial Council.
• Local entities.
• Social entities.
• Entities expert in Open Government and Social Innovation
• Provincial Council of Álava.
• Provincial Council of Biscay.
• Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.
• Bilbao Town-Hall.
• San Sebastián- Donostia Town Hall.
• Vitoria-Gasteiz Town Hall.
• EUDEL-Association of Basque Municipalities.
• Innobasque- Basque Agency for Innovation.
• Mestiza Association.
• Bilbao Women’s Council.
• Basque Country Youth´s Council.
• Innobasque- Basque Agency for Innovation.
• Osoigo.
• Sareen Sarea.
• Eusko Ikaskuntza.
• UNICEF Basque Country.

How many groups participated in these spaces?

17

How many public-facing meetings were held in 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...?

20

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

The present governance spaces will be maintained: Promoting Group, Regular Forum, Open Forum, and the Working Groups, divided according to their Commitments.

New stakeholders will be invited to participate in the Regular Forum.

At the beginning of the launch of each commitment, an identification of new stakeholders will be performed, whose participation is considered to be beneficial for the development of the commitment.

An intermediate evaluation will be performed, as well as a final evaluation of the implementation of the Action Plan, with the participation of all the stakeholders.

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

We will include an external evaluation at the end of the project.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• TBD

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

An intermediate evaluation will be performed on 31/03/2027, in an internal way, and a final evaluation of the project will be performed externally and independently.

Dynamics of internal evaluation will take place in the meetings of the Open Forum (1 dynamic per year).

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

Each of the Working Groups for the Development of the Commitments will work on a periodic report on the monitoring of the implementation of their commitment and on the impact that has been achieved. This report will be analysed in the meeting of the Promoting Group, the Regular Forum, and the Open Forum.

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

An annual memory will be written, including the performed activities.

These memories, together with the reports of intermediate evaluation and the final one, will be published on the website of the project http://www.ogp.euskadi.eus

Moreover, dissemination of the annual memories and the evaluation reports will be made on social media.

All these documents will be worded following clear communication criteria.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Innobasque-Basque Agency for Innovation
• Mestiza Association
• Women´s Council Bilbao
• Basque Country 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 Council
• Osoigo
• Sareen Sarea
• Eusko Ikaskuntza
• UNICEF Basque Country

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