Croatia Design Report 2018-2020
- Action Plan: Croatia Action Plan 2018-2020
- Dates Under Review: 2018-2020
- Report Publication Year: 2019
- Researcher: Ivona Mendes
Commitments in Croatia’s third action plan continue from initiatives in prior action plans and focus on access to information, anti-corruption measures, and improving online government services. Stakeholders can consider using the next plan to further transparency in public spending and improve the operating environment for civil society.
Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2011 Action plan under review: Third Report type: Design Number of commitments: 15
Action plan development Is there a Multistakeholder forum: Yes Level of public influence: Collaborate Acted contrary to OGP process: No
Action plan design Commitments relevant to OGP values: 15 (100%) Transformative commitments: 4 (27%) Potentially starred: 4 (27%) Action plan implementation Starred commitments: N/A Completed commitments: N/A Commitments with Major DIOG:* N/A Commitments with Outstanding DIOG:* N/A
*DIOG: Did it Open Government? |
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Croatia joined OGP in 2011. Since, Croatia has implemented two action plans. This report evaluates the design of Croatia’s third action plan.
General overview of action plan
Political instability and frequent governmental changes since 2015 have relegated OGP to the margins of the political agenda in Croatia. The action plan development process lasted for over three years.
Despite the delays, Croatia’s OGP Council conducted a consultation process that was generally meaningful and participatory. The Council is a multistakeholder forum, streamlining communication between government bodies and other actors, such as civil society members, involved in OGP initiatives. It represents government, local, and regional authorities, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the academic community.
The 2018−2020 action plan mostly continues or builds upon previous commitments. It contains a diversity of themes, including participation in public policy, local open government, and the sustainability of the OGP initiative in Croatia. Within these themes range commitments from political financing transparency to media regulatory frameworks to capacity building for civil society anti-corruption monitoring.
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
Recommendations
The IRM recommendations aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan.
Table 3. Five KEY IRM Recommendations
1. Make the OGP process a major strategic framework to ensure OGP values constitute the foundation for all of the state’s key programs. |
2. Include vulnerable and minority groups in the OGP process to close critical gaps in information, access, and participation. |
3. Regulate lobbying, especially for the executive branch, and require lobbyists to publish certain information relevant to their work. |
4. Increase transparency of public spending, especially in the areas of beneficial ownership, public contracting, and state funding for religious institutions. |
5. Strengthen the operating environment for civil society through the new national strategy for the creation and enabling environment for civil society development and non-discriminatory application of legal principles governing civic space. |
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