Croatia Design Report 2018-2020
- Action Plan: Croatia Action Plan 2018-2020
- Dates Under Review: 2018-2020
- Report Publication Year: 2019
- Researcher: Ivona Mendes
Commitments in Croatia’s third 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... continue from initiatives in prior action plans and focus on access to information, anti-corruption measures, and improving online government services. Stakeholders can consider using the next plan to further 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 in public spending and improve the operating environment for civil society.
| Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2011 Action plan under review: Third Report type: Design Number of commitments: 15
Action plan development Is there a Multistakeholder forum: Yes Level of public influence: Collaborate Acted contrary to OGP process: No
Action plan design Commitments relevant to OGP values: 15 (100%) Transformative commitments: 4 (27%) Potentially starred: 4 (27%) Action plan implementation Starred commitments: N/A Completed commitments: N/A Commitments with Major DIOG:* N/A Commitments with Outstanding DIOG:* N/A
*DIOG: Did it Open Government? |
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 (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. 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 ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Croatia joined OGP in 2011. Since, Croatia has implemented two action plans. This report evaluates the design of Croatia’s third action plan.
General overview of action plan
Political instability and frequent governmental changes since 2015 have relegated OGP to the margins of the political agenda in Croatia. The action plan development process lasted for over three years.
Despite the delays, Croatia’s OGP Council conducted a consultation process that was generally meaningful and participatory. The Council is a multistakeholder forum, streamlining communication between government bodies and other actors, such as civil society members, involved in OGP initiatives. It represents government, local, and regional authorities, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the academic community.
The 2018−2020 action plan mostly continues or builds upon previous commitments. It contains a diversity of themes, including participation in public policy, local open government, and the sustainability of the OGP initiative in Croatia. Within these themes range commitments from political financing transparency to media regulatory frameworks to capacity buildingEnhancing the skills, abilities, and processes of public servants, civil society, and citizens is essential to achieving long-lasting results in opening government. Technical specifications: Set of ac... for civil society anti-corruption monitoring.
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
| CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... description | Moving forward | Status at the end of implementation cycle. |
| Commitment 2: Fiscal Transparency
Secure and publish timely, accurate budgetary information at the state, local, and regional level. |
If implemented, this will be the first time that comprehensive data on local and regional self-governments’ spending is available in an open format. The government could strive to reach the 5th star-level of data design and provide mechanisms for civil society input on data disclosures. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 3: Political Financing and Election Campaign Transparency
Amend legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r... and carry out training to enhance disclosure of the financing of political activities, electionsImproving transparency in elections and maintaining the independence of electoral commissions is vital for promoting trust in the electoral system, preventing electoral fraud, and upholding the democr..., and referenda. |
The commitment will, for the first time, regulate campaign finances for referenda and set up a permanently accessible and easily searchable database of political financing. This commitment could be followed by regulating political lobbyingLobbying transparency allows the public to ensure that there is diversity of participation and contribution to public decision-making. Technical specifications: Policies and actions affecting lobbying... and monitoring the legislative footprints of MPs, government, and other officials in the next OGP action plan. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 6: Protection of Persons Reporting Corruption
Strengthen legislation protecting whistleblowers. |
This commitment would establish rules and mechanisms to ensure whistleblowers in Croatia are better protected and that public authorities are held accountable more swiftly. The Act on Protection of Persons Reporting Corruption should be adopted and implemented according to its provisions, and the IRM researcher proposes that the lead institution use the remaining implementation time to ensure that the entities subject to the Act are in compliance with those provisions, especially in adopting internal regulations and naming the responsible persons. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
| Commitment 11: Central State Portal Development
Continue development of the Portal, e-services, and the “My Administration” page. |
The most potentially impactful milestone in this commitment is the further development of the e-Citizens system to offer new e-services and with that, raise civic participation and create new communication channels for citizens and businesses with various public authorities. For the system to be more effective, all state authorities need to be incorporated in the gov.hr portal and new electronic services from all public sector bodies need to be included in the e-Citizens system. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
Recommendations
The IRM recommendations aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan.
Table 3. Five KEY IRM Recommendations
| 1. Make the OGP process a major strategic framework to ensure OGP values constitute the foundation for all of the state’s key programs. |
| 2. Include vulnerable and minority groups in the OGP process to close critical gaps in information, access, and participation. |
| 3. Regulate lobbying, especially for the executive branch, and require lobbyists to publish certain information relevant to their work. |
| 4. Increase transparency of public spending, especially in the areas 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..., public contracting, and state funding for religious institutions. |
| 5. Strengthen the operating environment for civil society through the new national strategy for the creation and enabling environment for civil society development and non-discriminatory application of legal principles governing civic space. |
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