Latvia Design Report 2017-2019 – For Public Comment

In 2019, the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... published the Design Report for Latvia’s third action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... (2017-2019). The report covers the development and design of its commitments.

In Latvia, the IRM researcher Zinta Miezaine’s findings are summarized below:

“Latvia’s third action plan includes commitments on 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..., whistleblower protection, beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... More 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 governance of state-owned enterprises. Commitments continue from the previous action plans but contain mostly incremental steps in important policy areas. Moving forward, Latvia could pursue more ambitious reforms in OGP, focusing on transparency in the financial sector and lobbyingLobbying transparency allows the public to ensure that there is diversity of participation and contribution to public decision-making. Technical specifications: Policies and actions affecting lobbying... activities.”

And in Latvian:

“Latvijas trešajā rīcības plānā ietvertas apņemšanās par datu atklātību, trauksmes cēlēju aizsardzību, patieso īpašnieku pārredzamību un valsts uzņēmumu pārvaldību. Apņemšanās turpina pastāvēt no iepriekšējiem rīcības plāniem, taču tās satur galvenokārt inkrementālus soļus nozīmīgās politikas jomās. Virzoties uz priekšu, Latvija varētu realizēt daudz ambiciozākas reformas Atvērtās pārvaldības partnerībā (APP), koncentrējot uzmanību uz finanšu sektora pārskatāmību un lobēšanas pasākumiem.”

The version of the report for public comment is available in English and in Latvian below. The two-week public comment period closed 23 August 2019.