A draft report on Transparency and Open local government was presented by Antje GROTHEER (Germany, SOC), on behalf of Congress Rapporteur Andreas GALSTER, at the Governance Committee which met in Covasna County, Romania, on 30 May 2018.  “Three key conditions are required for a government to be open and more efficient: transparency, participation and accountability,” she stated.

The Congress report introduces a framework through which open government principles, mechanisms and initiatives can be analysed, and underlines the benefits of greater transparency. better governance, better decision-making, greater public trust, reduced corruption and more effective public services. It also details five functions to which open government can be applied: budgeting, contracting, law-making, policy-making and service delivery.

Local and regional authorities are encouraged to implement open government standards and to raise awareness on the importance of transparency within their administrations. At national level, member states are invited to adopt common open government standards, to encourage local and regional authorities to publish key documents, and to support public consultation processes and the effective monitoring and implementation of transparency measures.

“We are convinced that open government and transparency are an opportunity for local governance to become more democratic,” concluded Mrs GROTHEER.

This report will be examined for adoption during the 35th Congress Session, in November 2018.

Source: https://www.coe.int/en/web/congress/-/transparency-and-open-local-government