Slovakia Implementation Report 2017-2019
- Action Plan: Slovak Republic National Action Plan 2017-2019
- Dates Under Review: 2017-2019
- Report Publication Year: 2020
Slovakia’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... included 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..., open 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 research, participatory policymaking, and 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 measures in the justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi... sector. While the action plan saw high levels of completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... More, most of the commitments resulted in minor technical advancements. However, major improvements were seen in judicial transparency, and awareness of whistleblower protection 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..., among other areas.
| Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2011 Action plan development Action plan design Action plan implementation *DIOG: Did it Open Governmnt? |
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 (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)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 ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Slovakia joined OGP in 2011. Since, Slovakia has implemented three action plans. This report evaluates the implementation of Slovakia’s third action plan.
General overview of action plan
Approximately two-thirds of the commitments in Slovakia’s third action plan (46 of 68) were either substantially or fully completed by the end of the implementation period. This completion rate represented an increase compared to the results of the previous action plan (2015-2017).
While most of the commitments in Slovakia’s third action plan represented minor technical reforms, some achieved major results. For example, 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... 53 led to the publication of more detailed evaluations of judges’ performances by the Ministry of Justice, and Commitment 57 improved transparency in the selection procedure of judges. Additionally, activities under Commitment 62 have increased public awareness of Slovakia’s Whistleblower Protection Act and the creation of a new public agency dedicated to whistleblower protection.
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
| Commitment description | Status at the end of implementation cycle. |
| 53. Improved publication of assessments of judges | This commitment resulted in the publication of assessments of judges, which compared to previously available evaluations, provide more detailed information about judges’ performances. These evaluations can provide anti-corruption CSOs and investigative journalists with useful information to uncover potential corruption in the judiciaryWhile a majority of open government reforms occur within the executive branch, OGP members are increasingly taking on commitments to increase the openness of the judicial branch. Technical specificati.... |
| 57. Draft legislation to make selection of judges and judicial staff more transparent | This commitment saw the adoption of amendments to the Act on Judges and Accessors which standardized the selection process for judges and significantly increased the transparency of this process. The new transparency measures have been highly useful in helping to detect potential corruption in the judiciary. These measures could be extended to other judicial staff as well. |
| 62. Raise public awareness for the Whistleblower Protection Act | The Office of the Plenipotentiary and civil society organizations conducted various activities to raise public awareness of the 2015 Whistleblower Protection Act. Additionally, new legislation was introduced establishing a public agency for whistleblower protection, transparent election of its head, and the possibility to appeal if protection is not granted. However, by the end of the action plan period, the head of the new agency had not yet been appointed. |
| 63. Analyze and evaluate public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... in the drafting and commenting on draft legislation | Under this commitment, the Office of the Plenipotentiary and the Ministry of Justice monitored preliminary information and reports on public participation for six months in 2016. The findings from the analyses have already shed light on where government agencies should improve their practices in publishing preliminary information and reports on public participation. |
Five Key IRM Recommendations
The IRM key recommendations are prepared in the IRM Design Report. They aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan. In Slovakia’s 2017-2019 Design Report, the IRM recommended the following:
| Establish the formal multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... with participation of both public servants and civil society. |
| Include more targeted and ambitious commitments in the next action plan. |
| Ensure the proposed commitments are co-created with public agencies in charge of their implementation. |
| Concentrate efforts on existing platforms and initiatives and avoid duplication. |
| Focus on improvement of key transparency tools, including improving the Freedom of Information Act but mainly its application practice. |
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