Promotion of Open Data at the Local Level (ME0078)

What public problem does the measure address? This measure responds to the problem of insufficiently developed practice of publication and reuse of open data in the possession of local self-government units (including machine-readable data), as well as inadequate promotion of open data at the level of all municipalities. Regardless of the progress achieved in recent years, still a small number of local self-government units publish data in their possession in electronically readable formats. The majority of employees in local self-government are not familiar with the concept of open data and the reuse of already available/published data, as well as the importance of proactive publication of data, as established in the Law on SPI. As at the national level, additional promotion of the use of open data portals and the publication of high-value data sets is needed, in accordance with the expectations of citizens, NGOs, businesses and other representatives of the interested public. Additionally, due to the lack of up-to-date data on responsible contact persons in local self-government units, a large number of citizens of Montenegro face problems in the work of the local administration when solving any problems. It is often the case that the correct contact information is not found on the websites of municipalities, is not clearly displayed, or is not there at all. In order to bring local self- government closer to citizens and facilitate access to all the services they offer, it is necessary to maintain LSU websites in such a way that all necessary contact information is published and accurate. That is why there is a need to analyze the availability of publicly displayed data in LSU authorities in order to map the exact number of contact data (telephone and email) that are available, accurate, and to which officials respond.

What does this measure entail? The measure includes a series of activities intended to encourage better information among management personnel and officials employed in local self-government about the obligation to publish information for reuse in an open format on the open data portal, as well as the promotion of the reuse of such data.

In what way does the measure contribute to the solution of the identified public problem? It is expected that promotional activities and campaigns aimed at raising awareness and expanding the initiative on opening data in the possession of local governments will improve the transparency of local government bodies, as well as the use and reuse of the same data.

Why is this measure relevant in relation to the values promoted through the OGP initiative? This measure is directly relevant to the values of transparency and openness of public administration, as well as strengthening the responsibility of authorities in the creation and management of public policies.

Additional information This measure is complementary to the goals and activities of the National Public Administration Reform Strategy 2022-2026, especially Strategic Priority 4. Transparent and open public administration and related operational goal 4.3. Improving the reuse of information and increasing the availability of open data. The implementation of this measure contributes to the realization of the UN's sustainable development goals, especially goal 16: 'Peace, justice and strong institutions', and tasks 16.10. Provide public access to information and protection of basic freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements, 16.6 - Develop efficient, responsible and transparent institutions at all levels.

Budget 19.000 EUR

Activities

16.1. Organize an "open data caravan" at the local level, in cooperation with the economy and NGOs Holder: Ministry of Public Administration, Directorate for Innovation and Openness of Public Administration in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, Association of Municipalities, Chamber of Commerce, NGO Activity realization indicator: - promotional activity held in three Montenegrin regions during 2023 and 2024 - number and type of promotional material - the number of citizens present Required financial resources: EUR 6,000 Source of funding: Budget of Montenegro, donor funds April 2023 - December 2023

16.2. Organize in-house consultative meetings with management staff in LGUs on open data Holder: Ministry of Public Administration, Directorate for Innovation and Openness of Public Administration and Directorate for Human Resources Activity realization indicator: - organized consultative meetings with representatives of all municipalities in 2023 and 2024 - published conclusions and recommendations from the meetings Required financial resources: EUR 2,000 Source of funding: Budget of Montenegro, donor funds, March 2023 - December 2024

16.3. Preparation of an analysis of the availability of publicly displayed contact information in local self-government bodies and LLCs founded by LSU Holder: Ministry of Public Administration, Directorate for Innovation and Openness of Public Administration Activity realization indicator: - analysis made Required financial resources: EUR 3,000 Source of funding: Budget of Montenegro, donor funds April 2023 - September 2023

16.4. Create instructions for local self-government units on data disclosure Holder: Ministry of Public Administration, Directorate for Innovation and Openness of Public Administration, Agency for Free Access to Information, in cooperation with the Community of Municipalities (Committee for Local Self- Government System), Activity realization indicator: - prepared instructions Required financial resources: EUR 2,000 Source of funding: Budget of Montenegro, donor funds January 2024 - June 2024

16.5. Hold workshops for LGU officials on data disclosure Holder: Ministry of Public Administration, Directorate for Innovation and Openness of Public Administration and Directorate for Human Resources Activity realization indicator: - held three workshops in 2023 and 2024 Required financial resources: EUR 6,000 Source of funding: Budget of Montenegro, donor funds March 2023 - December 2024

Action Plan Review

Commitment 16. Promote open data at the local level

● Verifiable: Yes

● Does it have an open government lens? Yes

● This commitment has been clustered as: Open data (Commitments 5 and 16 of the action plan)

● Potential for results (cluster): Modest

Commitments 5 and 16 focus on open data at the national and local levels. Montenegro was classified as a “beginner” in the 2022 Open Data Maturity report, ranking 31 out of 34 EU+ countries. [120] Commitment 5 involves creating promotional visuals and videos about the portal, awarding innovative open data projects, holding an annual “Open Data Day”, and consulting citizens on publishing new datasets. It also entails adopting mandatory annual open data plans by and calendars for public institutions.

The annual plans could help the MPA and CSOs learn which public institutions are not publishing open data in line with their plans. In addition, interested organizations could influence data publication (i.e., businesses, women's organizations, and organizations representing people with disabilities). [121] The open data portal (data.gov.me) portal is back online following hacker attacks on Montenegrin government websites in August 2022. The IRM recommends the MPA focus on publishing key categories of data that Montenegro is lacking, such as air quality, administrative boundaries, election results, and land ownership. [122] In the long-term, the IRM recommends developing a national open data strategy to set targets and benchmarks for open data publication. Lastly, Institut Alternativa highlighted the need to address the issue of cybersecurity across the action plan by taking appropriate protective measures when improving websites and publishing open data. [123]

Commitment 16 focuses on open data from local self-government units (LSGUs). It involves organizing workshops for staff in LSGUs on open data disclosure and organizing an "open data caravan" with civil society in three regions. According to the Ministry of Finance, many LSGUs do not meet the provisions in the Law on Free Access to Information which require them to publish certain information in open format. [124] The activities to support the staff of LSGUs could benefit from the involvement of civil society and data users during implementation. For example, CSOs could support LSGUs in developing their own open data plans. Peer learning among LSGUs could also be encouraged.