e-Government (AL0062)

Component II: Open Governance to Modernize Public Services and E-Gov
The policy goal of this activity is the development of electronic governance and the provision of
interactive public services for citizens and businesses.
COMPONENT II: OPEN GOVERNMENT TO MODERNIZE PUBLIC SERVICES AND E-GOV
GOVERNANCE
Lead Institution The National Agency of Information Society
Other participants Government Line Ministries and their dependency institutions, local
government, and independent institutions
Civil society
Private sector
Citizens / business / employees of public administration
Status quo or problem/the issue to be
addressed
E-Governance is today a tangible reality in Albania which is managed and
coordinated by the National Agency of Information Society (below
NAIS). Since 2013, NAIS has become the most important institution in
the development and implementation of projects in the field of
information technology and electronic communications. From November
2017, NAIS operates on the basis of the Decision of Council of Ministers
No.673, dated 22.11.2017 "On the Reorganization of the National
Information Society Agency", on the basis of which it provides policies,
strategies and regulates the ICT sector, excluding the field of electronic
communications. Since the beginning, this agency had a strategy, linking
systems to one another and exchanging real-time data as a necessary step
for facilitating the services and reducing the number of documents
required by the citizen or business in the counters.
The governmental portal e-Albania, a project of the Albanian
Government, which is based on the online institutional interaction, is the
typical example of digitalization of state services, where facilitated direct
communication means are provided for authenticated individuals in the
system by avoiding therefore obstacles of a wide spectrum. The Albanian
government, as a promoter of the transformation of physical services to
online services, turned e- Albania into an example and managed to build
a serious image of the state and restore citizens' trust in institutions. The
e-Albania government portal, through various projects, has significantly
increased the number of electronic services, with a total of 1363 services
out of which 590 electronic services. The e-Albania portal has been
created on the principle of the Open Government Partnership and is
orientated towards the service to the citizens.
Nowadays, a large range of public services that were previously offered
only in the traditional model, requiring submission to the respective
offices, paper application, waiting in line, filling in forms, etc., are now
taken electronically, with a counter, from a smartphone camera, a home
computer. In this regard, all the technological achievements behind this,
have to meet the goal of providing public services that consist in:
simplification of procedures, electronic applications for public services,
security, speed and functionality to the maximum of time and most
importantly with 24/7 access regardless of location.
19
It is worth pointing out that after hundreds of electronic services that are
offered electronically by the Albanian public institutions, lies a complex
architecture (Governmental Interoperability Platform); a continuing
process of building new systems, improving existing systems, digitizing
physical archives, building physical support infrastructure, setting up
specified platforms where electronic signatures / sealed documents should
circulate, creating dedicated electronic archive capacities, equipment of
all actors with electronic signature and seal in order to anticipate and
involve all steps and links in this process. Concerning the Governmental
Interoperability Platform (GG), which is the basic architecture that
enables the interconnection of electronic registers with one another and
the exchange of real-time data in a secure and reliable form, by
guaranteeing electronic services to citizens, businesses and public
administration, as a result of the investments made by NAIS during this
period, 49 electronic systems are connected to GG and exchange data in
real-time, unlike in the year 2013, where only 6 electronic systems were
connected to GG.
An essential element in completing the e-Governance framework in
Albania is that any administrative document such as certificates,
certificates, testimonies, etc. have the same legal value as when they are
generated by online state offices (or in this case, from the portal ealbania), as well as when physically handled on paper in their counters.
Relevant legal and sub-legal acts approved by the Decision of Council of
Ministers no. 495, dated 13.09.2017, "On the approval of regulations for
the benefit of electronic public services", opened the way for the
authentication of the electronic seal, giving legal validity to the
administrative documents generated through the e-Albania portal. Based
on the decision, the sending and receiving of data is carried out in full
compliance with the legislation regulating electronic identification and
trusted services, whereas the stamping of electronic administrative
documents, generated by electronic transmission, guarantees the
authenticity of the document in electronic format. Since September 2017
when the electronic seal became legitimate, the e-Albania portal enables
the download of administrative documents of legal value 24/7, by
therefore making these documents available every hour of the day and
every day of the week, regardless of the opening hours of the counters. At
present, 33 documents with electronic seal are offered on the portal, a part
of which are provided only electronically, eliminating their printing on
paper at the physical counters of the institutions.
In addition to the electronic seal, another novelty of the portal is the use
of the e-Albania portal for public administration employees to obtain
certificates and documents that are used as portal services for completing
the accompanying documentation of the service requested by the citizen
and will no longer be required himself to him. Today, it is the employee
of the public administration and not the citizen, the one who has the task
of collecting documents with electronic seal from the portal e-albania and
their attachment to the application file of the citizen. Simply said: the
ordinary itinerary from office to office for a certificate, document etc., has
come to an end. Over 2.6 million documents with electronic seal are easily
obtained from citizens and businesses, eventually avoiding corruption and
delays.
20
These are the rhythms that are bringing a transformation, from which
benefits come not only to state institutions but especially to citizens and
business, who are benefiting through this process and services raised.
These developments have affected the improvement of the Index of eGovernance Development (EGDI) which is an index that assesses the
development of e-governance at the national level. In 2016, Albania
ranked 82 out of 193 countries with regard to the EGDI index with a value
of 0.5331. In 2018, Albania ranks 74th among states such as Hungary,
Bulgaria, Croatia, etc. with index value 0.6519. From the three
components of EGDI, according to the report the greatest impact on its
growth came from the component of Online Services Index (OSI) with a
value of 0.7361 in 2018, compared with 0.5942 in 2016. The eParticipation Indicator (EPI) is at 0.7584 level, making Albania approach
countries such as Australia, Austria, Belgium, etc., with the eparticipation index "Very High", from "High" as classified in 2016.
Albania has progressed faster compared to the timing of the process and
the progressive expansion of services already offered in electronic form
or systems interconnection.
In this context, NAIS has continued to work on identifying new public
services that will be digitized, for the addition and promotion of electronic
services for citizens, business and administration. The priority will be to
increase transparency and improve public services in the public
administration, as according to the principles of the Open Government
Partnership initiative.
The Albanian Government is committed to working for a better, quality,
open and transparent governance. Transparency is one of the three key
priorities set out recently by the leaders of the G8 countries. They signed
in June 2013 some principles specified for "Open Data" in the “Open Data
Charter” document. Open data support and encourages innovation and
provide greater accountability for improving democracy.
The data is powerful, they affect transparency and help in the exact control
of each activity. Many countries have launched programs to government
transparency and public offices through the publication of data "Open
Data" online. The development policies for Open Data have taken a rapid
development in the last five years in different countries. Initiatives for the
realization of open data are of different forms in different countries
ranging from the development of specific portals and data in the
framework of the development of e-government towards the most
ambitious projects for having real "open data". The European Union has
adopted several documents for the implementation of "Open Data" and
has created the portal for open data at the EU level. Many countries have
adopted action plans and national policies for the realization of open data.
In fact, with the increasing demands of the public for a transparent and
accountable government and the ongoing efforts of the Government of the
Republic of Albania to ensure a better and more open communication with
citizens and civil society, NAIS, also within this Global Initiative, in 2016
has implemented the Electronic Register of Public Notifications and
Consultations. The implementation of open data and the creation of a
government portal for open data is an important government engagement,
part of the action plan drafted under the Open Government Partnership
(OGP) global initiative.
21
For the above, the National Agency of Information Society (NAIS), based
on Law no. 119/2014 dated 18.09.2014 "On the Right to Information", as
well as Law no. 146/2014 dated 30.10.2014 "On Notification and Public
Consultation" engages in the construction of the portal opendata.gov.al,
which through its three main modules will serve as an information
window for the progress of the OGP project for Albania, as a consultation
place among citizens and decision-making institutions in Albania, as well
as a unique point of publication of open government data.
The main purpose of the implementation of 'open data' is a more efficient
and effective governance, economic growth and innovation, transparency
and accountability, promoting the reuse of public information while
respecting the right to intellectual property and personal data protection.
Through the creation of a government portal for open data, the aim is to
increase transparency and increase public engagement in governance.
Main objective / Purpose of the policy The policy goal of this activity is the development of electronic
governance and the provision of interactive public services for
citizens and businesses.
OGP challenge affected from this
engagement
Improvin
g public
services
More
efficient
manageme
nt of public
resources
Increasing
public
integrity
Increasing
corporate
accountabil
ity
Creating a safer
community
X X X X
It is important for the improvement of: Transpar
ency
Accountabi
lity
Citizen participation Technology and
innovation
X X X X
Measurable and
verifiable
achievements for the
fulfillment of the
commitment
Result
Indicators
Output
Indicator
s
Responsib
le
Institution
New or
continued
engagement
from the
2016-2018
action plan
Starting
date
End date
2.1.1 Developing
the information
section on the Open
Government
Partnership (OGPOGP)
Open Data
Portal
Increased
public
engagem
ent in
governan
ce
NAIS,
LM/Agen
cies
New
engagement
2018 2019
2.1.2 Development
of the "Open Data"
section for
transparency on the
activity of public
institutions
22
2.1.3 Identification
and collection of
data in the
appropriate format
from the public
administration
institutions
Improvin
g
evidence
in order
to
improve
policies
and
increase
governm
ent
transpare
ncy
2.1.4 Integration of
data into the portal
2.2.11 Implementing
new electronic
services on the eAlbania portal
Adding new
electronic
services to the
e-Albania
portal
Increasin
g access
to public
services
for
citizens,
businesse
s and
public
administr
ation
NAIS,
LM/Agen
cies
New
engagement
2019 2020
2.2.2 Data Exposures
to the Government
Interaction Platform
Reduce
bureaucr
acy, cost
and time
to
citizens
and
businesse
s

2. Open Governance to Modernize Public Services and E-Gov

Language as it appears in the commitment: [12]

Main objective: The policy goal of this activity is the development of electronic governance and the provision of interactive public services for citizens and businesses.

Milestones:

2.1.1 Developing the information section on the Open Government Partnership (OGP)

2.1.2 Development of the "Open Data" section for transparency on the activity of public

         institutions

2.1.3 Identification and collection of data in the appropriate format from the public

         administration institutions

2.1.4 Integration of data into the portal

2.2.1 Implementing new electronic services on the e-Albania portal

2.2.2 Data Exposures to the Government Interaction Platform

Start Date: 2018  

End Date: 2020

Context and Objectives

This commitment is tied to Albania’s Digital Agenda 2015–2020 [13] and aims to further develop e-services for citizens and businesses in Albania. Currently, 591 out of 1,600 total government services are available electronically on the e-Albania portal. [14] Line ministries and subordinated agencies have prioritized certain services to be digitized based on those that were most frequently used and/or sought by users, according to a National Agency of Information Society (NAIS)’s surveys. [15] However, there are still important public services that require citizens to visit government offices in person, which can be time-consuming and costly, particularly for citizens living in remote parts of the country. [16] Therefore, an essential element in the e-governance framework in Albania is that all administrative documents (such as certificates, attestations, or testimonies) have the same legal value, whether obtained online or in person. Since the legitimation of the electronic seal in September 2017, [17] the e-Albania portal makes important legal documents available regardless of the opening hours of public offices.

The Government of Albania does not currently maintain a national open data portal. [18] Based on law no. 119/2014 "On the Right to Information", government agencies will make certain categories of information publicly available on their websites. This information will be identified by all the public entities that are going to publish their specific data on the portal.

To address these issues, this commitment proposes to develop a national open data portal, which will be included on a dedicated OGP website. It also calls for making new e-services available on the e-Albania portal. This commitment is relevant to OGP values of access to information and technology and innovation for transparency and accountability. It includes activities that are verifiable. Currently, there are 33 electronic documents offered on the portal, some of which are now offered only electronically. [19] According to the Director of E-Gov Relations with Institutions at National Agency on Information Society (NAIS), the implementation of this commitment will make 100 new e-services available on the portal. [20]

Overall, this commitment could improve the accessibility of information about public services, improve the level of public awareness about public service delivery procedures, and help reduce waiting times for citizens at public agencies’ offices. [21] According to the Director of E-Gov Relations with Institutions at NAIS, the number of certificates that will be issued at the registrar counters will be decreased threefold, saving citizens 50,000,000 ALL overall, as well as providing online tax certifications will save businesses an estimated 91,000 hours in queues and avoiding other bureaucratic actions that would bring additional costs to the business. [22] Additionally, the reduction of waiting times at public agencies’ offices and the need for citizens to produce hardcopy documents could help lower corruption risks in bureaucracy.

The benefits of creating the national open data government portal are diverse and will range from improved efficiency of public administrations to economic growth in the private sector. Based on Albanian legislation, [23] the data will be prepared in advance in easily-understandable, accessible formats, and it will be made publicly available on the website. The commitment also calls for the establishment of a dedicated OGP website with official information on the OGP process in Albania. [24] This could improve access to information on the OGP process in Albania. Such a website did not exist at the time of drafting the current action plan.

Next steps

The open data and e-service platforms are important mechanisms to improve services delivery and increase access to information. For effective implementation of the commitment, the IRM researcher recommends the following actions be taken:

• The government and interested stakeholders could carry out a public awareness-raising campaign for the new open data portal;
• The government could ensure continuous monitoring of the feedback mechanism to make data more understandable for the general public; and
• The government could define and a set of implementation, outcome, and impact-oriented performance indicators to track the effectiveness of implementing this commitment. Such indicators could include:
  • An increased the number of unique yearly and monthly visitors to the new OGP website;
  • An increased number of public (citizens, business community) that use the open data platform.

[12] For the complete text of this commitment, see: “The Open Government Partnership Fourth Open Government National Action Plan for Albania 2018–2020”, Open Government Partnership, 10 January 2019, https://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Albania_Action-Plan_2018-2020_EN.pdf.

[13] “Cross-cutting Strategy ‘Digital Agenda of Albania’ 2015–2020”, Republic of Albania, Council of Ministers, Ministry of Innovation and Public Administration, http://akshi.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Digital_Agenda_Strategy_2015_-_2020.pdf.

[14] “Home”, e-Albania, https://e-albania.al/.

[15] Nevila Repishti, Director of National Agency for Information Society (NAIS), interview by IRM researcher, 17 July 2019; Emiliano Lule, representative of blind community, interview by IRM researcher, 22 July 2019; Nekie Hoxha, representative of Youth Group, interview by IRM researcher, 22 July 2019.

[16] Questionnaire fulfilled by National Agency for Information Society (NAIS) staff, July 2019.

[17] Decision of the Council of Ministers no. 495, dated 13 September 2017, "On the adoption of the rules for the benefit of electronic public services".

[18] Evis Qaja, point of contact to OGP, interview by IRM researcher, July 2019.

[19] Nevila Repishti, ibid; 

[20] Marseda Prifti, Director of E-Gov relations with institutions for NAIS, interview by IRM researcher, 17 July 2019.

[21] Nevila Repishti, ibid. 

[22] Marseda Prifti, ibid.

[23] Law no. 119/2014, “On the Right to information".

[24] Evis Qaja, ibid.

2. Open Government to Modernize Public Services And E-Gov. Governance

Complete:

Commitment 2: Open Government to Modernize Public Services And E-Gov. Governance

Aim of the commitment

This commitment was tied to Albania’s Digital Agenda 2015–2020 and aims to further develop e-services for citizens and businesses in Albania. In addition to making new e-services available on the e-Albania portal, the commitment aimed to develop a national open data portal and a dedicated OGP website. [6]

Did it open government?

Marginal

The number of online services available to Albanian citizens on the e-Albania portal increased from 591 to 1,086 services according to the National Agency for Information Society (NAIS). [7] Demand for online services increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, [8] and NAIS representatives said that 1,210,093 citizens used the platform between January and August 2020. [9] According to the government point of contact, NAIS implemented a new method for password reset on the e-Albania portal (using a security question) after receiving complaints and feedback on the previous method. [10] The government also developed the System of Circulation of Documents with Electronic Signature in 2019, allowing different agencies to share different files provided by citizens, and saw a 35 percent increase in activity during the first half of 2020. [11]

An increase in the number of centralized datasets means there are more than 100 datasets now available on the http://www.opendata.gov.al website, [12] the national open data portal for Albania. Some relevant areas include economy and finance; health and social protection; education, culture, and sport; environment; agriculture; and population. [13] According to NAIS, data related to payments made by the Treasury are among the most downloaded from the portal. [14] The government took national legislation and international standards into consideration when including data on the portal, some of which is directly collected from different government agencies’ information systems. [15] According to NAIS, some startups and students from the Techspace initiative have started using open data to create ICT applications, but no final products have been produced. [16]

The new national OGP website, http://www.ogp.gov.al, aims to centralize information on the country’s participation in the OGP process. The previous action plans are available on the website as well as general information on the initiative. No information is available on the implementation of the 2018-2020 action plan. The website provides access to the national open data portal and the electronic register of public notifications and consultations. While it represents an important step toward meeting the requirement for having a publicly available OGP repository, the government needs to proactively publish information regarding the co-creation and implementation process, functioning of the multi-stakeholder forum, and evidence in support of commitment implementation in line with IRM guidance.

In terms of change in government practice, the launch of both the national open data portal and national OGP website represent a positive but marginal step forward in improving access to information. The national open data portal now offers centralized statistics in several areas that can be accessed and used for different purposes and interests. The usefulness or quality of the datasets (or if they are new datasets, or just centralized datasets that already existed) is not clear, limiting the IRM’s assessment. Results could be improved through the implementation of IRM Design Report recommendations, including a public awareness-raising campaign for the new open data portal; continuous monitoring of feedback to make data more understandable for the public; and defining a set of implementation, outcome, and impact-oriented performance indicators (such as the number of unique yearly and monthly visitors to the new OGP website; and an increased number of users of the open data platform) to track the effectiveness of implementing this commitment. [17] The Albanian OGP website is a first step in providing a fully functional repository, but the government needs to publish relevant information to ensure the country meets OGP requirements. The e-Albania platform offers numerous new online services and has seen an increase in usage due to the pandemic. Responding to citizen feedback on technical issues, such as the method for password reset, is a positive development, although it is unclear whether citizens themselves report that they can more easily access information about e-services or prefer these processes to in-person services.

The IRM reached out to CSOs as part of research for this report but did not obtain a response.