Promoting new technology for open government practices (IT0087)

Problem addressed:

Transparency and open data are essential for inclusivity, civic monitoring, and participation in public policies, and they contribute to the achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainability. In the previous NAP, it emerged that collaboration between administrations and civil society organisations could enhance the value of informational resources at the national and regional levels, providing useful tools for participation. This collaboration has improved the organisation of informational sources related to the PNRR, even before the Italia Domani portal. Significant progress has been made at the national level in the past two years: PNRR implementation data is now available in the Open Data catalog as periodic extractions from the ReGiS system, which publishes financial, physical, and procedural data on funded projects. The European and national regulatory framework has been consolidated with the "Guidelines for Open Data and the Reuse of Public Sector Information" and the Operational Guide on High-Value Data Series, providing guidance for implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/138. In light of these important developments, it is necessary to strengthen the equal collaboration between institutions and civil society to transform data into an asset for creating and protecting public value. Recent findings indicate difficulties in using and systematising these resources for participation and civic monitoring purposes. Civil society calls for participatory decision-making processes and monitoring of investment policies, especially regarding the PNRR, overcoming issues related to the update, type, and quality of published information.

Description of the commitment:
The main Goal of this commitment is to strengthen the equal collaboration between institutional actors
and civil society to make data and information an asset for creating and preserving public value.
The goal is to follow through on programmatic declarations and regulatory provisions by enabling spaces
for dialogue and collaboration between administrations and CSOs to promote accountability, verify the
impact of published information and data, and strengthen the skills of civil society and PAs in using
indicators, red flags, and data for civic monitoring. Referring to ongoing monitoring experiences and the most advanced institutional practices in accountability, transparency, and data platforms, the following outputs will be produced:
-Guide for using data to improve accountability of Public Administrations in relation to investment programs like the PNRR;
- Guide on using indicators, red flags, and open data for civic monitoring and corruption prevention, with a focus on investment programs (PNRR) and public procurement.

How will the commitment address the problem?
European and national regulations on the PNRR require transparency and publicity of data to foster effective public participation. By raising awareness of which information is necessary for civic monitoring
and how it should be published, this commitment aims to promote continuous and structured publication of high-quality, up-to-date, and easily accessible data on PNRR implementation by the involved administrations. In an era where narratives built on hard-to-verify data shape and construct civic space, it is crucial to rethink the value of public information from this perspective, both for public decision-making and citizen engagement in political life. The creation of two guides aims to facilitate the task for both administrations committed to providing data and CSOs engaged in civic monitoring, making PNRR implementation transparent and participatory. By doing so, the commitment aims to promote equal collaboration among all involved actors within the PNRR framework, enhancing access to information, increasing the participation of underrepresented groups, and facilitating monitoring and critical evaluation by citizens and the CSOs that represent them. The goal is to develop a clearer vision of which data should be published to enable civic monitoring and how these data should be organised to improve their usability. Specifically, the aim is to identify the information necessary to enable civic monitoring that is not yet available.

Why is the commitment relevant to the OGP values?
According to the principle of accountability and transparency, administrations that practice open government principles respond not only to a regulatory obligation but also to the 'ethical' duty of providing data and information on their spending. This commitment aims to promote, through collaboration between PAs and CSOs, the improvement of the quality of data published by administrations so that they become resources for stimulating innovation and citizen participation in public decisions. This is also achieved through the co-creation of guides and manuals codifying high-quality standards, formats, and metadata that ensure easy access and better data governance, thereby promoting digital citizenship as a right for citizens to participate in civic life through new technologies. Furthermore, the promotion of systematic moments and spaces for dialogue between PAs and CSOs responds to the principles of participation and inclusivity, as effective and widespread civic monitoring can produce widespread knowledge ofthe interventions under the PNRR, which constitutes the national development agenda.

Description of the activies and outputs:
The activation of a joint table between administrations and CSOs to promote accountability on impacts and strengthen skills for civic monitoring among civil society and PAs in using indicators, red flags, and data (ANAC) Continuation of the table meetings atleast bimonthly throughout the entire commitment, promoting usability and more frequent updates of PNRR data
Output: Guide on using indicators, red flags, and open data for civic monitoring and corruption prevention, with a focus on investment programs (PNRR) and public procurement (July 2025)
Improving access to information and decisions on value-creating projects on the OpenCUP portal, e.g., through data interoperability (DIPE)
Output: Guide for using data to improve accountability of public administrations, along with possible improvements to portals to make data more usable (June 2026)
Promoting and improving semantic interoperability to encourage the use of open data, through schema.gov.it (DTD)
Output: Guidelines to facilitate CSOs in using ontologies and schemas on schema.gov.it (June 2025)
Promoting high-value datasets within the open government table and organising two thematic events as part of the action (AgID)
Output: Guide on the importance of high-value data from an open government perspective (March 2026)
Organising an event to present and promote the 2025 results.
Output: Conference materials (June 2025)
Organising an event to present and promote the 2026 results.
Output: Conference materials (June 2026)