Germany Design Report 2017-2019 – For Public Comment

In 2019, the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... published the Design Report for Germany’s first action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... (2017-2019). The report covers the development and design of its commitments.

In Germany, the IRM researcher Dr. Dieter Zinnbauer’s findings are summarized below:

“Germany’s first action plan focused on improving open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... and transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More across fields such as transportation and extractives, as well as expanding civic engagement opportunities. Civil society was actively involved in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... primarily through the Open Government Network. However, most commitments represented existing initiatives. Moving forward, the Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More process in Germany could benefit from high-level political support for its commitments. Future action plans could significantly increase in ambitionAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should “stretch government practice beyond its current baseline with respect to key areas of open government.” Ambition captures the po... by including commitments on, for example, transparency of beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... and public contracting while continuing to improve open data architecture.”

And in German:

“Der erste deutsche nationale Aktionsplan setzte den Schwerpunkt sowohl auf Verbesserungen im Bezug auf Offene Daten und Transparenz in unterschiedlichen Fachbereichen, wie zum Beispiel im Transportwesen und Rohstoffsektor, als auch im Bezug auf die Ausweitung von Möglichkeiten der Bürgerbeteiligung. Die Zivilgesellschaft wirkte aktiv im Ko-Kreationsprozess mit, in erster Linie durch das Open Government Netzwerk Deutschland (OGN). Die meisten Verpflichtungen beinhalteten jedoch bereits existierende und schon geplante Initiativen. In Zukunft könnte der Prozess des Open Government in Deutschland von mehr Unterstützung auf hoher politischer Ebene profitieren. Zukünftige Aktionspläne könnten signifikant ambitionierter gestaltet werden, z.B. durch Verpflichtungen zur effektiveren Transparenz wirtschaftlicher Eigentümer (beneficial ownership) und im Bereich der öffentlichen Auftragsvergabe, und durch die kontinuierliche Verbesserung der Architektur für Offene Daten.”

The version of the report for public comment is available in English and in German below. The two-week public comment period closed 6 August 2019.