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Albania

E-­Albania (AL0040)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: Albania Second Action Plan for 2014-2016

Action Plan Cycle: 2014

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: Ministry of State for Innovation and Public Administration (MSIPA) and National Agency for Information Society (NAIS)

Support Institution(s): Ministries

Policy Areas

E-Government, Public Service Delivery

IRM Review

IRM Report: Albania End-of-Term Report 2014-2016, Albania Mid-Term Report 2014-2016

Starred: No

Early Results: Marginal Marginal

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information Technology

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

E-Albania portal serves as a single contact point for government services, helping to improve the overall accessibility of information to the public. Interoperability Platform on which this portal is based can be extended for other essential governmental services. Until now, information for 170 services offered by the public administration has been published. Services as access to personal data, business data, and online declaration of personal income will soon be added as e-services offered by the portal. E- Albania will be in enriched with various other public e-services. The aim of this commitment is to pass from first level services (informative services) to level 3 and 4, which means public services that are offered entirely online. It is expected that during 2015, 10 new services with be offered entirely online and other 10 will be added in 2016.

IRM Midterm Status Summary

For Commitment details, see Albania Mid-Term Report 2014-2016.

IRM End of Term Status Summary

Commitment 3.3. E-Albania

Cluster 2: Open Data & e-Services- 1.3 and 3.3

This cluster is composed of two commitments, as follows:

Commitment 1.3. Implementation of Public Expenses Module in “Open Data” Format

Commitment 1.3. Text: The National Agency for Information Society in the context of the global initiative 'Partnership for Open Governance', will undertake as commitment the implementation of a module that will allow in an open data format, online access to information on budgetary data of the Ministries. This module will be accessed from the government portal e-Albania and the official websites of the respective institutions. This module will provide information in real time of budgetary expenses of the Council of Ministers and Line Ministries in order to guarantee complete and transparent information of the expenses. The indicators such as the functionality of the module, the number of visitors of the web pages or downloaded information will be used to verify the implementation of this commitment.

Responsible institution(s): Ministry of State for Innovation and Public Administration (MSIPA) and the National Agency for Information Society (NAIS)

Supporting institution(s): Ministries

Start date: 2014 End date: 2016

Commitment 3.3. E-Albania

Commitment 3.3. Text: E-Albania portal serves as a single contact point for government services, helping to improve the overall accessibility of information to the public. Interoperability Platform on which this portal is based can be extended for other essential governmental services. Until now, information for 170 services offered by the public administration has been published. Services as access to personal data, business data, and online declaration of personal income will soon be added as e-services offered by the portal. E- Albania will be in enriched with various other public e-services. The aim of this commitment is to pass from first level services (informative services) to level 3 and 4, which means public services that are offered entirely online. It is expected that during 2015, 10 new services with be offered entirely online and other 10 will be added in 2016. Editorial Note: Both commitments will be implemented by MSIPA and the National Agency for Information Society (NAIS). In addition, the public will have access to their deliverables through the e-Albania portal – first commitment delivering a 'public expenses module' with open data and the second commitment, expanding the number of e-services accessed through e-Albania.

Responsible institution(s): MSIPA and NAIS

Supporting institution(s): Ministries

Start date: 2014 End date: 2016

Commitments Aim:

Through the use of information technology, these commitments aim to improve access to information about government services. Specifically, the public expenses module enables transparency in governmental spending. And the e-Albania initiative is designed as a portal through which citizens both can access information and can receive e-services from state institutions.

Status

Commitment 1.3

Midterm: Substantial

In 2014 the Council of Ministers began displaying budget information through a module on its website. The module has an open data format and publishes budget information from the council and the ministries. The websites of some line ministries also have a link to the module. At the one-year mark of the action plan, the module offered government spending data from 1 January 2015. However, the government and ministry spending information was displayed as a percentage of the respective budgets and did not provide actual budget figures. Visitors could access the visualized information, not open data, for the government or a specific ministry, with a total of 11 expenditure categories. Therefore, the module did not meet the criteria for a five-star open data standard as envisaged in the action plan.

As implemented, this tool met the two-star standard of open data. It provided access to downloadable data in Excel format on the Treasury General Directorate’s daily payments for 2014 and 2015. The same data was available in a more open format on the e-Albania portal. IRM progress report, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/Albania_Second%20IRM%20Report_for%20public%20comment.pdf.

End of term: Limited

No further progress was made in the implementation of this commitment between September 2015 and September 2016. The government did not update the module with 2016 public expenses data, and the module has since been removed from the Council of Ministers’ website. On the other hand, the Ministry of Finance regularly updates the module on its website with daily payments from the Treasury. Source: http://www.financa.gov.al/al/raportime/thesari/pagesa-te-kryera-nga-drejtoria-e-pergjithshme-e-thesarit.

The government’s end-of-term self-assessment refers to this commitment as implemented, using the Ministry of Finance’s module as evidence. However, this module was not part of commitment 1.3 in the 2014–2016 action plan, but rather a delivered result of the 2012–2013 action plan.

Commitment 3.3

Midterm: Substantial

The e-Albania portal has increased the number of offered services from 177 in 2013 to a total of 700 in September 2015. However, the majority of these services were “information and guidance” (first-level services) on other state services that citizens or businesses may use. Services with interoperability functions, which would allow the exchange and use of information, were limited. IRM progress report, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/Albania_Second%20IRM%20Report_for%20public%20comment.pdf.

End of term: Substantial

The e-Albania portal has noted significant improvements between September 2015 and September 2016. Another 148 new services have been added to the portal since the IRM midterm report, increasing the total number of services from 700 in September 2015 to 848 in September 2016. Although the majority of information is mostly guidance on state services, the number of e-services with transaction (level 3) and interoperability functions (level 5) has reached a total of 278. The government plans for the portal to be the main gateway for citizens to access a range of services electronically. In order to realize that goal, government institutions continue to digitize more services.

Did it open government?

Commitment 1.3

Access to information: Did not change

The module on the government’s and ministries’ websites does not provide information in an open data format and has not been used by civil society or media representatives. The e-Albania portal includes the Ministry of Finance’s module as one of the e-services that can be accessed without registration in the portal. Source: https://e-albania.al/MFtreasure.aspx. The Ministry of Finance’s disclosure of daily payments, despite meeting only a three-star open data standard, has been used more frequently by civil society and media stakeholders (e.g., Albanian Institute of Science (AIS) and the Albanian portal of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network - Reporter.al).

Most interviewed civil society representatives and journalists reported either that they had no information on the Council of Ministers’ module or that they did not find it helpful. Interviews with AIS Director Aranita Brahaj and with journalists form the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN). Moreover, the module was eventually removed. CSOs consider the data on payments made available by the Treasury General Directorate at the Ministry of Finance to be a more useful tool.

Commitment 3.3

Access to information: Marginal

E-Albania’s number of unique users has increased significantly, from approximately 18,000 users per month in 2015 to 26,500 unique users per month as of October 2016. MSIPA submitted the official data upon IRM request (October 2016). According to this data, e-Albania in the period June–December 2015 had a total of 126,000 unique visitors who have completed at least one session within the portal. From 1 January to 20 October 2016, a total of 265,000 unique users completed at least one session within e-Albania. E-Albania mostly offers information on how to obtain various services from state institutions.

Evidence on the most frequently used services suggests a great interest for second- and third-level services on the portal. According to MSIPA official data, the five most frequently used services are: the submission of annual financial accounts at the National Business Center, high school graduation exam registration The ability to register for high school examinations online, known as “State Matura,” began in early 2013. High school seniors could use the State Matura service offered through the e-Albania portal to register for their high school graduate exams (matura). This also allows for state institutions, such as the National Exams Agency and the Ministry of Education, to exchange information on the State Matura applications. , electricity bill payment, applications for health cards, and the generation of health cards. The range of users, from students to businesses, of these and other services Other frequently used e-services include accessing State Matura exam scores, declaring and paying contributions by employers, accessing family data, accessing “my vehicles,” and dealing with traffic offenses. MSIPA submitted the official data upon IRM request (October 2016). suggests that e-Albania’s strength lies in its interoperability functions, which help individuals and companies obtain services online.

Carried forward?

Commitment 1.1 has not been carried over to the 2016–2018 action plan. The IRM midterm report suggested a redesign of the module to meet open data standards or, as an alternative, withdrawal from this commitment and focusing instead on the opendata.gov.al portal.

The commitment on e-Albania has been carried forward in the 2016–2018 action plan. The new commitments expand the e-Albania portal, providing new e-services with interoperability functions. This commitment aims at delivering e-services through an electronic forms management system (Eforms). Furthermore, a number of other commitments in the new action plan are directly connected to this platform, including the establishment of an electronic registry for public notification and consultation (commitment 1.4), establishment and distribution of digital counters (commitment 3.3), and an electronic system for professional licensing of individuals and legal entities operating in the construction sector (commitment 4.2).

Albania's Commitments

  1. Transparency of government reporting

    AL0061, 2018, E-Government

  2. E-government

    AL0062, 2018, E-Government

  3. Improved business regulation

    AL0063, 2018, Capacity Building

  4. Safe communities

    AL0064, 2018, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  5. Improvement of database/portal with coordinators’ data of the right to information and transparency programs

    AL0044, 2016, E-Government

  6. Budget transparency

    AL0045, 2016, E-Government

  7. Integrated Registry of Citizens’ Housing

    AL0046, 2016, Citizenship and Immigration

  8. Establishment of electronic Registry for public notification and consultation

    AL0047, 2016, E-Government

  9. Digital archive

    AL0048, 2016, E-Government

  10. Creating a database for archiving and publication of research funds and programs in Albania

    AL0049, 2016, E-Government

  11. Commitment to publish online central and local government legislation in open systems and for free

    AL0050, 2016, Capacity Building

  12. Commitment to Open Standards for Contracting

    AL0051, 2016, E-Government

  13. Starred commitment Implementation of the Law "On protection of whistleblowers", capacity building, amendments and its bylaws

    AL0052, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  14. Provision of electronic services

    AL0053, 2016, Capacity Building

  15. Establishment of multifunctional centralized system for building permits

    AL0054, 2016, Capacity Building

  16. Establishment and distribution of digital counters

    AL0055, 2016, E-Government

  17. Service passport standardization

    AL0056, 2016, Capacity Building

  18. Citizen Card

    AL0057, 2016, Capacity Building

  19. Electronic system of registration of e-prescription in the Republic of Albania

    AL0058, 2016, E-Government

  20. Electronic Monitoring System of Forests

    AL0059, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  21. Integrated electronic system for professional licensing of individuals and legal entities that will operate in the field of study design and supervision of commissioning of construction works

    AL0060, 2016, E-Government

  22. Standardization of corruption complaints

    AL0031, 2014, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  23. Electronic registry of energy and industry permits

    AL0032, 2014, E-Government

  24. Implementation of public expenses module in "open data" format

    AL0033, 2014, E-Government

  25. Promoting OGP values among local authorities

    AL0034, 2014, OGP

  26. Database on Economic Assitance Beneficiaries

    AL0035, 2014, E-Government

  27. Electronic portal on water resources administration and management

    AL0036, 2014, E-Government

  28. Single window

    AL0037, 2014, E-Government

  29. Electronic access to protected areas

    AL0038, 2014, E-Government

  30. National geoportal

    AL0039, 2014, E-Government

  31. E-­Albania

    AL0040, 2014, E-Government

  32. E-­document

    AL0041, 2014, E-Government

  33. Starred commitment Law on whistleblowers protection

    AL0042, 2014, Legislation & Regulation

  34. Police Service Offices

    AL0043, 2014, E-Government

  35. Open data portal

    AL0001, 2012, Open Data

  36. e-Acts

    AL0002, 2012, E-Government

  37. e-Parliament

    AL0003, 2012, E-Government

  38. Extension of the governmental network, GOVNET

    AL0004, 2012, E-Government

  39. e-government interoperability framework, e-GIF

    AL0005, 2012, E-Government

  40. Government datacenter

    AL0006, 2012, E-Government

  41. Excise system

    AL0007, 2012, E-Government

  42. Starting of the e-Tax system

    AL0008, 2012, E-Government

  43. Starred commitment Online state matura

    AL0009, 2012, E-Government

  44. The regulation on ethics in research and publishing

    AL0010, 2012, Education

  45. Digitalization of higher education accreditation process

    AL0011, 2012, E-Government

  46. U-Gov system

    AL0012, 2012, E-Government

  47. Online inspections of courts and judicial hearings

    AL0013, 2012, E-Government

  48. Digitalization of the file transfer process

    AL0014, 2012, Judiciary

  49. e-Employment project

    AL0015, 2012, E-Government

  50. e-Concessions procedures

    AL0016, 2012, E-Government

  51. Amendment of the law “on the right to information for official documents”

    AL0017, 2012, Justice

  52. Drafting a new law on "notice and consultation"

    AL0018, 2012, Legislation & Regulation

  53. Tracking project

    AL0019, 2012, E-Government

  54. Digitalization of the notary register

    AL0020, 2012, E-Government

  55. Online citizens’ claims in the judiciary system

    AL0021, 2012, E-Government

  56. Work inspection, online complaint

    AL0022, 2012, E-Government

  57. Financial module of all educational institutions

    AL0023, 2012, Education

  58. Starred commitment Audio and video recording of judicial hearings

    AL0024, 2012, E-Government

  59. Starred commitment e-Albania portal

    AL0025, 2012, E-Government

  60. e-Inspection portal

    AL0026, 2012, E-Government

  61. Starred commitment Portal www.gjykata.gov.al

    AL0027, 2012, E-Government

  62. Disclosure of the list of payments made daily by the government units

    AL0028, 2012, Fiscal Transparency

  63. e-Procurement system for all small purchases of public procurement

    AL0029, 2012, E-Government

  64. Implementation of the EITI recommendations

    AL0030, 2012, Extractive Industries