Consult on possibility of open data system for public grants (CZ0034)

What is the public problem that the commitment will address? In the Czech Republic, there is still no comprehensive database of providers and recipients of public funds from grant titles that would include information from all levels of state administration and self-government.

What is the commitment? The aim is to consult all stakeholders, i.e., providers of grants at all levels of state administration and self-government, operators of current relevant information systems (CEDR, MS2014 + etc.) and civil society representatives, on the possibility of creating a comprehensive publicly accessible open-data aggregated database of providers and recipients of public funds from grant titles either in the form of one information system / one platform or by means of compatible and interconnected individual data sets. Based on the previous consultations, a summary of the course will be established, including follow-up steps and their feasibility and acceptability by individual parties.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem? The commitment should contribute to the identification of possible solutions to the problem and enable the subsequent search for agreement on one of them.

Why is this commitment relevant to OGP values? Transparency: The commitment is the first step in finding a way to provide civil society with more relevant data in both adequate and workable format. Civic participation: Representatives of civil society should be actively involved in the discussions and have the opportunity to comment on which solutions they consider suitable. Public accountability: Fulfilling the commitment will be the first step in publishing data that will allow civil society to control to whom and to what extent public funds are provided in the form of grants. Technology and innovation: The commitment should contribute to the disclosure of available Page 23 (of 24) information about public grants through a further processable open data format.

Additional information  The commitment contributes to the fulfilment of the goals set by the Government Anti-Corruption Conception for 2018 to 2022.

Milestone activity with a verifiable deliverable Start date: End date: Carrying out consultations 1. 11. 2020 31. 8. 2021 Creating a document summarizing the result of the consultations and other possible steps 1. 9. 2021 31. 8. 2022

Action Plan Review

Commitment 5: Consultations on creation of a publicly accessible open data aggregated database on public grants

Results Report

Commitment 5. Consultations on Creation of a Publicly Accessible Open Data Aggregated Database on Public Grants

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● Potential for results: Unclear

● Completion: Complete

● Did it open government? No early results to report yet

The commitment laid the groundwork for greater transparency in awarding public grants by reviewing the existing grant databases and suggesting possibilities for further steps. In 2021, the Ministry of Justice held two public consultations with stakeholders from public administration, experts, and CSOs. In 2022, it published a report mapping the possibility of creating a new database or adjusting existing grant databases to overcome shortcomings in available data. [56] According to the government representative, the consultation process laid important preparatory work and enabled an opinion exchange between various experts involved in the process. [57] The CSOs perceive public grants transparency as high priority. While the existing databases include some information, they are not interconnected and miss, for example, the information on beneficial ownership. [58] The consultation process resulted in including a commitment to adjust existing public grant databases in the 2023–2024 action plan. [59] While the consultation process was beneficial in bringing stakeholders to one table, concrete results in grant transparency will manifest only after implementation works begin on the new action plan.