Centralized Publishing of Public Interest Information on the Single Gateway Transparenta.Gov.Ro (RO0031)

Status quo or problem addressed by the commitment Although most of the information subject to compulsory disclosure may be accessed on the websites of public institutions, there are major drawbacks. Most institutions agree that the formats of public information documents are not clearly defined. In addition, there is a lack of clear internal procedures to identify what types of information qualify for default publishing. The different approaches of ministries in publishing these documents results in displaying different information, in incompatible formats, that cannot be easily exported to the single gateway. This commitment was first included in the 2014-2016 NAP, however, due to the lack of a clear legal framework and of uniform procedures within public institutions, it was not completed. Main objective Facilitate the public’s access to information of public interest by collecting and publishing it on a single government gateway. Brief description of commitment To facilitate the access of citizens and assist public institutions, an online platform will be developed for the centralisation of information that is subject to Law no.544/2001 on the free access to public interest information. Following the standardization process and the harmonization of legislation, the pre-requisites for centralized publishing will be achieved. The MCPDC will provide methodological assistance based on its activity and experience, while the Chancellery of the Prime-Minister will develop the platform. The commitment will result in the implementation of a tool to manage the flow and to improve communication of public interest information. OPG challenge addressed by the commitment Improving public sector integrity Relevance Publishing information of public interest on a single government portal will facilitate citizens’ access to information. In addition, the project will contribute to the reduction of costs and efforts required to obtain information and will increase accountability in public institutions. Ambition Publishing on a single government portal: transparenta.gov.ro all information that is subject to compulsory disclosure according to Law no. 544/2001 on the access to public interest information. The portal should also contribute to the reduction of reporting costs and simplify existing procedures, as uploaded information can be accessed by other institutions as well.

2. Centralized publishing of public interest information on the single gateway transparenta.gov.ro

Commitment Text:

In order to facilitate the access of citizens to public interest information and in order to assist public institutions in possession of public interest information, an online platform will be developed for the centralization of information subject to law 544/2001. The pre-requisites for centralized publishing of public interest information will be achieved through the standardization of the publishing format, as well as through the harmonization of relevant laws and norms (as achieved through commitment 1). MCPDC will provide methodological assistance based on its activity and experience, while CPM will develop the platform. Commitment 2 will implement a tool to manage the flow and to improve the communication of public interest information.

Main Objective:

Facilitate the public’s access to information of public interest by collecting and publishing it on a single government gateway: transparenta.gov.ro.

Milestones:

• Establish the platform’s functionalities
• Development of the portal transparenta.gov.ro
• Pilot testing on a representative sample of central and local public institutions and authorities
• Drafting and publishing a Guide on the use of the portal
• Attract a significant number of central and local authorities to publish on the platform

Responsible Institution: Secretariat General of the Government (SGG)/Chancellery of the Prime Minister (CPM)

Supporting Institution(s): Ministry for Public Consultation and Civic Dialogue (MCPDC), Ministry for Regional Development and Public Administration (MDRAP), NGOs with relevant experience and work in this field

Start date: August 2016                                                                    End date: June 2017

Editorial Note: The commitment text is abridged. The full text can be found in the OGP 2016–2018 national action plan.

Commitment Aim

This commitment aimed to centralize standardized public interest information, made available by designated public institutions on their webpages (in accordance with the provisions of law 544/2001), on a single governmental gateway, for ease of use. The success of this commitment depended on the successful completion of the previous commitment, that is on public institutions designated by law 544/2001 publishing the relevant information, in a standardized manner.

STATUS

Midterm: Not started

The commitment was not started at the time of the 2016–2017 IRM progress report. The government’s 2018 self-assessment report stated that the budget for the development of the transparenta.gov.ro platform was secured through SIPOCA 35—an EU cofunded project. The start of SIPOCA 35 was delayed, as Romania only accredited the Management Authority needed to secure these funds from the EU on 13July 2017. [25] Meanwhile, the government changed, MCDPC was dissolved, and the open government agenda of MCPDC Minister Violeta Alexandru lost institutional support. [26]

End-of-term: Not started

According to a SGG representative, the funds allocated for this project were insufficient for its completion. [27] Consequently, when the SGG took over the management of the SIPOCA 35 project in July 2018, it reconsidered its scope. The new vision of the SGG was to write a standardized internal procedure and a technical guide instead that would ensure the standard internal organization of the tasks of the clerks charged with ensuring institutional transparency. [28] The vision materialized into Commitment 6 of the fourth national action plan.

Did it Open Government?

Access to information: Did not change

This commitment was not started and therefore did not lead to any change in government practice.

Carried forward?

This commitment is not carried forward in the 2018–2020 national action plan.

[25] “Trei autoritati de management acreditate de autoritatea de audit”, FonduriUE, 13 July 2017, available [in Romanian] at https://bit.ly/2VTIRtb.

[26] Radu Puchiu, former Secretary of State in charge of OGP, interview by IRM researcher on 13 November 2018.

[27] Madalina Mitroi, SGG, interview by IRM researcher on 6 November 2018.

[28] Madalina Mitroi, SGG, interview by IRM researcher on 6 November 2018.