Digital Archive (AL0048)

The commitment proposed by the Ministry of Urban Development and the Central Archive for Technical Construction has the overall objective of monitoring compliance with the development of the Digital Agenda in Albania and recognized technological standards referred to by similar entities in other countries of the EU, as well as similar institutions in the country. The Archive should turn into a technology-based asset for access, convertible and comparable with European similar archives, improving the effectiveness of the service provided to citizens through: - Providing services online through access on the Internet / intranet citizens or entities and other interested parties who require these services, access to online material opportunities. - Creating opportunities for publication technological and infrastructural services, real-time benefit in their reduction in costs of services, human processes of energy saving automatic. - Reduction of the use of documents and other archival materials of the original by increasing the scale of their use in an electronic form. Status quo or problem addressed by the commitment The lack of state database of the digital archiving will be considered by this commitment. Central Technical Archive of Construction is the only institution in Albania that collects and manages documents of technical construction. For that reason people who have to apply for and obtain archival documentation have to travel to the capital Tirana. Consequently, this leads to: a) Increased costs for citizens; b) Delays in obtaining the required material (because citizens will have to travel in person); c) Finally, payment can only be made by banks. This commitment aims at the overall monitoring and compliance with the development of the Albania’s Digital Agenda and over AQTN at an advanced stage and recognized technological referred Authorities analogue in other countries of the EU, and similar entities within the country. The Archive should turn into a technology-based asset for access, convertible and comparable with European similar archives, improving the effectiveness of the service provided to citizens. Main Objective Improving the effectiveness of service offered to citizens through: - Providing access to online services through Internet / Intranet citizens or entities and other interested parties who require these services, access to online material. - Creating opportunities for publication technological and infrastructural services, real-time benefit in their reduction in costs of services, saving human energies for automatic processes. - Reducting the use of documents and other archival materials of the original by increasing the scale of their use in an electronic form.

5. Digital archive

Commitment Text:

The commitment proposed by the Ministry of Urban Development and the Central Archive for Technical Construction has the overall objective of monitoring compliance with the development of the Digital Agenda in Albania and recognized technological standards referred to by similar entities in other countries of the EU, as well as similar institutions in the country. The Archive should turn into a technology-based asset for access, convertible and comparable with European similar archives, improving the effectiveness of the service provided to citizens through:

- Providing services online through access on the Internet / intranet citizens or entities and other interested parties who require these services, access to online material opportunities.

- Creating opportunities for publication technological and infrastructural services, real-time benefit in their reduction in costs of services, human processes of energy saving automatic.

- Reduction of the use of documents and other archival materials of the original by increasing the scale of their use in an electronic form.

Responsible institution: Central Technical Archive of Construction/Ministry of Urban Development

Supporting institution(s): N/A

Start date: 2016 End date: 2018

Editorial Note: For full commitment text, please refer to https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Albania_NAP3_ENG.pdf.

Context and Objectives

Private sector development remains a priority for the Government of Albania. In April 2015, the government approved the 'Digital Agenda', which includes steps to increase business innovation, establish incubators for ICT, increase FDIs, and increase the competitiveness and economic growth in the country.^{[Note75: The Digital Agenda, http://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/22382/attachments/1/
translations/en/renditions/native. ]} The main aim of this measure was to reduce costs through cooperation, infrastructure sharing and synergies. This commitment builds on this work and has the overall objective to monitor compliance with the Digital Agenda and other recognized technological standards in European Union countries.

Currently, the Central Technical Archive of Construction, one of the lead implementing agencies, is the only institution in Albania that collects and manages documents of technical construction. Their database is not digitalized which leads to increased costs for citizens (traveling to Tirana to apply and obtain documentation at the Central Technical Archive of Construction) and delays in obtaining the required material (because citizens will have to travel in person).

This commitment develops a digital archive as a technology-based asset for access, convertible and comparable with similar European archives. The action plan suggests that this commitment will improve the effectiveness of public services in three ways: first, it will provide access to online services and material (through Internet/Intranet) to citizens, entities, and other interested parties who require these services. Second, it will reduce costs for the state institutions and businesses involved in issuing construction permits who, up until this point, have had to print all the necessary papers. Third, it will reduce the use of documents and other archival materials by increasing the scale of their use in electronic form. Although the commitment’s description suggests that it will improve services to citizens, it does not explain how citizens will access the digital archive and whether it is intended for public use. The specificity of this commitment is low because it requires interpretation on the part of the IRM researcher to identify what activities will be taken to develop and implement the archive as described.

Despite the ambitious outcomes, as stated by the government, the IRM researcher considers this commitment to have minor potential impact. In addition to its low specificity, this commitment will effect incremental change in the ways businesses operate. Construction companies will be able to more easily apply for a building permit and individuals will be able to access online maps of their properties, however, the scope of this commitment is limited.

Although this commitment represents a step forward in improving government services, through digitalizing the archive of technical construction, its relevance to OGP values is unclear. The digital archive does not include a public-facing element. Since the archive does not publicly disclose information or increase the quality of information, it is not relevant to access to information.

Completion

The IRM researcher could not obtain any official information on the completion of this commitment. At the time of preparing of this report (August – October 2017) the Government of Albania went through a restructuring process and, as of September 2017, the Ministry of Urban Development no longer exists. The IRM researcher’s interviews with former staff of the Ministry of Urban Development and current officials of the Central Technical Archive of Construction confirmed plans to develop a digital archive but they were not aware that the project was an OGP commitment.^{[Note76: Interviews conducted in September 2017. ]} Similarly, no participant at the IRM focus groups was aware of this commitment or its activities.

At the time of writing, the level of completion for this commitment is limited and behind schedule. The IRM researcher could only trace a Council of Ministers Decision no. 365, date 26 April 2017 'On the establishment of the state database Digital Archive of the Central Technical Archive of Construction.' The CM decision adopts bylaws to enable the establishment of the digital archive and indicates the database as interlinked with other state databases and offers primary and secondary data, as described in this commitment, to interested parties (e.g. state institutions, citizens, businesses, and the Central Technical Archive of Construction).

Next Steps

As written, this commitment is not relevant to OGP values. However, the IRM researcher recommends that it be taken forward to the next action plan, provided it ensures open access for the public, rather than just through the request of an interested party. Additionally, the Digital Archive should be interconnected with the e-Albania portal through a level four e-service, while also ensuring public access. Currently, the e-Albania portal includes (three) informational services related to the Central Technical Archive of Construction.^{[Note77: as the e-Albania portal, https://e-albania.al/SherbimiADISA.aspx?kodi=AL031021; https://e-albania.al/SherbimiADISA.aspx?kodi=AL031019; and https://e-albania.al/SherbimiADISA.aspx?kodi=AL031018. ]} Finally, if this commitment is taken forward with the intention to open access to information, more work needs to be done to increase awareness among citizens and government staff of this commitment’s activities, and its ties to OGP.

5. Digital archive

Commitment Text:

The commitment proposed by the Ministry of Urban Development and the Central Archive for Technical Construction has the overall objective of monitoring compliance with the development of the Digital Agenda in Albania and recognized technological standards referred to by similar entities in other countries of the EU, as well as similar institutions in the country. The Archive should turn into a technology-based asset for access, convertible and comparable with European similar archives, improving the effectiveness of the service provided to citizens through:

- Providing services online through access on the Internet / intranet citizens or entities and other interested parties who require these services, access to online material opportunities.

- Creating opportunities for publication technological and infrastructural services, real-time benefit in their reduction in costs of services, human processes of energy saving automatic.

- Reduction of the use of documents and other archival materials of the original by increasing the scale of their use in an electronic form.

Responsible institution: Central Technical Archive of Construction/Ministry of Urban Development

Supporting institution(s): N/A

Start date: 2016 End date: 2018

Editorial Note: For full commitment text, please refer to https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Albania_NAP3_ENG.pdf.

Commitment Aim:

This commitment built on the work around the “Digital Agenda” approved by the government in 2015. As the Central Technical Archive of Construction (the institution in charge of collecting and managing documents of technical construction) lacked a digitalized database, the commitment sought to develop a digital archive as a technology-based asset for access, convertible and comparable with similar European archives. The expected results were improvements in the effectiveness of public services. In particular, the digitalized database would reduce costs and delays for citizens seeking to obtain documentation at the Central Technical Archive of Construction (by increasing the scale of electronic forms), and construction companies would be able to more easily apply for a building permit.

Status

Midterm: Limited

At the time of preparing the IRM progress report (August – October 2017) the Government of Albania was going through a restructuring process and dissolved the Ministry of Urban Development. The IRM researcher’s interviews with former staff of the Ministry and current officials of the Central Technical Archive of Construction confirmed plans to develop a digital archive but they were not aware that the project was an OGP commitment. [30] Therefore the progress report 2017 found that the completion of this commitment was limited and behind schedule. The IRM researcher could only trace a Council of Ministers Decision No. 365, dated 26 April 2017 “On the establishment of the state database Digital Archive of the Central Technical Archive of Construction.”

End of term: Limited

During the second year of implementation, limited progress was noted.

The National Agency for Information Society (NAIS)’ annual report for 2017 reported the digital archive of the Central Technical Archive of Construction as one of the databases it had serviced in 2017, although the website of the Central Technical Archive of Construction has no information on the Digital Archive. [31]

The IRM researcher traced in 2018 the “Centralized multifunctional system of construction permits” at e-Albania portal [32] which responds to one of the objectives outlined in this commitment: construction companies will be able to more easily apply for a building permit and individuals will be able to access online maps of their properties. This e-service includes an interoperability option thus linking online all 61 municipalities in Albania and the respective state institutions in charge of different steps in the process of issuing construction permits.

However, the e-Permit service at e-Albania portal has been available and used by interested parties since 1 September 2016. Until the end of 2017 this system was used 40,000 times and had registered more than 12,000 applications for different services (e-Permit offers 19 different types of applications). [33] Additionally, the e-Permit does not entail a digital archive as described in this commitment nor does it create opportunities for publication of technological and infrastructural services. Although a representative from the Central Technical Archive of Construction interviewed by the IRM researcher suggested that it might be the same, [34] it is unclear whether the e-Permit is linked with the Digital Archive as described in this commitment.

Did It Open Government?

Access to Information: Did Not Change

Civic Participation: Did Not Change

Public Accountability: Did Not Change

The very limited implementation of this commitment has not led to any changes in opening up government.

Carried Forward?

At the time of writing this report, Albania has not published a new OGP action plan. Given the lack of OGP relevance of this commitment as described, the IRM researcher suggests that it could be taken up in the next action plan if it ensures open access for the public to the Central Technical Archive of Construction digitalized database, rather than just access through the request of an interested party.

[30] For more information please refer to the IRM Albania Progress Report 2016-2017. Interviews were conducted in September 2017.

[31] Central Technical Archive of Construction, http://www.aqtn.gov.al/index.php

[32] e-Permit – Application for construction permits, https://e-albania.al/eAlbaniaServices/UseService.aspx?service_code=6093

[33] NAIS 2017 report, page 61, http://akshi.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/raporti-vjetor-2017-AKSHI.pdf

[34] Central Technical Archive of Construction official, interview by IRM researcher, 30 October 2018.