Increasing investment programmes data (RO0095)

1. What problem does the commitment aim to address?

In the implementation of previuos programmes financed from the state budget (e.g.: The National Programme for Local Development - PNDL), publicly available data was limited and did not always have an easy format for potential users to re-use. Through the commitment made in the 2022-2024 NAP, transparency on the implementation of the MDLPA programmes to finance investment objectives was increased. We aim to continue our previous commitment by making data on nationally funded investment programmes more accessible in open formats.

2. What are the causes of the problem?

The initial causes of limited access to data mainly related to the monitoring system based on regular reporting by beneficiaries. This problem was largely solved by using an electronic system dedicated to the management of the programmes financed by the MDLPA (https://investitii.mdlpa.ro)– although here the beneficiaries still fill in the information themselves, the degree of correctness is higher because validation conditions are applied in the platform and the information is verified in the payments settlement process. However, the data are now published in a different manner, with data on the implementation of the new Anghel Saligny National Investment Programme being more detailed than for other programmes.

Commitment Description

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem?

Currently, information on the implementation of the PNDL and PNI Anghel Saligny is regularly published, but reports on other programmes funded by the MDLPA (e.g.: housing construction programmes, seismic consolidation programmes, programmes managed by the National Investment Company - CNI S.A. and the National Housing Agency - ANL) are not coordinated. The information was published regularly at best on a quarterly basis on the MDLPA website as well as on the national open data portal https://data.gov.ro/. The MDLPA carried out an innitial analysis of the funding programmes carried out in the period 2013- 2020, which is available for consultation at: https://observator.mdlpa.ro/portal/apps/experiencebuilder/experience/?id=8f28b3773d5a48e38d0b9 b2904ba4543. This analysis has not been updated so far due to insufficient human resources.

2. What solution are you proposing?

The solution we propose with this commitment is different because it involves the use of the https://investitii.mdlpa.ro platform. Considering that all information on programme implementation (e.g.: names of investment objectives, beneficiary administrative-territorial unit, amounts allocated and settled) are or will be available in the platform, the intention is to automate reporting so as to minimise manual operations – this will be necessary to complement reporting with information from programmes that cannot be taken over in the investment.mdlpa.ro platform (e.g. PNDL, NRRP – Component 5 and NRRP – Component 10). Thus, we intend to include in the regular reports the information on the programs managed by the institutions operating under the authority of MDLPA (in particular PNCIPS, managed by the National Investment Company C.N.I. - S.A.) and the multiannual building programs for housing and seismic consolidation managed by MDLPA.

3. What results do we want to achieve by implementing this commitment?

By providing uniform information, including available as open data on the data.gov.ro portal, on several programs managed by the MDLPA and institutions operating under the authority of the MDLPA, improvements will be made in terms of: - Increased transparency on the use of public funds; - Facilitating the re-use of data for analysis by other stakeholders; - Diversification of published datasets by including new dimensions (e.g.: spatial dimension – linked to the exact location of the field investment objective). - Information presentation models that can be taken and replicated by other institutions of central and local public administration.

1. How will the commitment promote transparency?

Following the fulfilment of the commitment, we estimate that citizens and interested entities will be able to access much faster extensive information on the state of implementation of the investment objectives financed by the MDLPA and by the institutions operating under the authority of the MDLPA. All published datasets will be available in open and machine-readable formats. Also, information on the location of objectives will increase transparency on the use of funds from the state budget. The commitment promotes transparency by: - Publication of regularly updated open data on the allocation and use of public funds for investment programmes managed by the MDLPA. - Creating a clear and accessible framework for informing the public about the types of investments, the stage of their implementation and the final beneficiaries. - Standardising the format and structure of data so that it is easy to understand, compare and re-use by citizens, the press, NGOs and academia.

2. How will engagement help foster accountability?

Following the fulfilment of the commitment, we estimate that citizens and interested entities will be able to access much faster extensive information on the state of implementation of the investment objectives financed by the MDLPA and by the institutions operating under the authority of the MDLPA. Through regular reports published, citizens will be able to find out the progress of investment implementation. The commitment supports institutional accountability by: - Facilitating independent monitoring of how public money is spent, which encourages better resource management. - Direct involvement of the authorities in ensuring the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of the published data.

1. How will the commitment improve citizen participation in defining, implementing, and monitoring solutions?

The commitment encourages citizen participation by: - direct involvement of stakeholders in gradually improving the way data is published (metadata, API, integration of unique identifiers); - making the necessary data available to the public for the analysis and understanding of investments, which stimulates the involvement of communities in the prioritisation and follow-up of projects.

Milestones | Expected Outputs | Expected Completion Date

Phase I Analysis of the state of play and consultation of stakeholders to improve data collection and sharing (organisation of working meetings with stakeholders) | • Regular meetings with stakeholders | December 2025

Phase II Publication and update of information on funding programmes managed by the MDLPA and addition of the spatial component for investment objectives where possible | • Publication of information on investment objectives managed by the MDLPA through the Directorate-General for Regional Development and Infrastructure (objective investment name, beneficiary, allocated value, settled value, etc.) including on the open data portal data.gov.ro. • Publication of an open data set on the location of the investment objectives carried out through the programs managed by MDLPA (PNDL and PNI Anghel Saligny), including on the open data portal data.gov.ro | December 2026

Phase III Publication and update of information on funding programmes managed by institutions subordinated to the MDLPA (CNI) | • Publication of information on investment objectives managed by institutions subordinated to the MDLPA (objective investment name, beneficiary, allocated value, settled value, etc.), including on the open data portal data.gov.ro. | June 2027

Phase IV. Dissemination of good collaborative practices in data collection and sharing (with the support of GSG) | • Events where good practices are disseminated | June 2026 – June 2027