Faces of Open Government: Madrid

Madrid has been a member of OGP Local since 2016. The city has focused on enhancing transparency through improvements to its Transparency Portal, which streamlines public data access; improving citizen participation via the Decide Madrid platform, which facilitates community engagement in decision-making; and fostering collaboration with civil society through various community action programs addressing social issues​. Eight years later, Madrid delivered its fourth OGP action plan. We sat down with Ángela Pérez Brunete and María Pía Junquera Temprano from the city of Madrid to ask them to share what they learned over these years and what is coming ahead.

Madrid has been a member of OGP Local since 2016. How has open government evolved in the Madrid City Council since then?

María Pia: If you visit Madrid and see how the structure operates, you’ll notice that participation 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 are well-established principles. We have the necessary structures, resources, and regulations, along with various mechanisms that function regardless of the government in power.

I believe we’re lucky to have a professionalized approach to open government. This is an important message to convey to other cities: while leadership is crucial, having skilled professionals behind the scenes is equally essential. This foundation ensures that Madrid continues to be a leading city in this field. 

This professionalization encompasses not only the individuals involved but also the entire governance model. Municipalities must have structures, clear regulations, and legal guarantees beyond what the Constitution covers. These frameworks provide legal security, which is vital and not easy to change. Once established, they endure over time and foster a sense of legal stability.

We also need economic resources. Funding is crucial for the operation of administrative units, such as our General Directorate of Transparency, the General Directorate of Citizen ParticipationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More, and others focused on accessibility. We allocate funds for engaging participatory processes, like participatory budgeting and co-creating plans to address the needs of vulnerable areas. This helps protect civic space, which is increasingly important today. In Madrid, we have protections in place for civic space thanks to various grants. For instance, my directorate offers free training and advice to associations, providing materials like microphones and chairs for their events. 

We place significant importance on training for professionalization. Open government must be embraced by civil servants from the outset. We’ve made an effort to incorporate a series of training and awareness measures for civil society and our internal teams in our fourth 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.... 

How have you managed to institutionalize citizen participation in decision-making processes in your city?

María Pia: Madrid is a large city with over three million inhabitants, and we have various mechanisms for participation at individual and collective levels. The most well-known is Decide Madrid, our pioneering platform that we work on daily. We also have numerous collective participation spaces, such as the Social Council of the City and sectoral councils in each of our 21 districts.

Additionally, we have more informal structures like working groups with civil society and social innovation workshops. Some mechanisms are formal and regulated, while others arise organically, offering more flexibility. For example, in our fourth OGP action plan, we sought participation through a dual consultation process on Decide Madrid, engaging over 4,000 participants.

We’ve also established a working group inspired by your guidelines, consisting of ten members from civil society and ten from the City Council, allowing us to be more agile. This has proven successful—we’ve effectively collaborated to establish the roadmap for the fourth plan and evaluate each consultation phase, co-creating the final agreement before publication. 

This outcome gives me great personal satisfaction, as we’ve adapted to local needs. While Madrid already had many participation bodies, this informal mechanism has allowed us to operate more efficiently without excessive bureaucracy. We’re genuinely enthusiastic about the progress we’ve made.

What efforts has the Madrid City Council made to improve the accessibility and understanding of public information? How has the transparency portal evolved in response to these needs?

Angela: Madrid was a pioneer in transparency, launching its transparency portal in 2011, ahead of the National Transparency Law in 2013. This early initiative allowed us to publish data that no other Spanish administration had dared to share.

Over the years, the portal has evolved in response to legal regulations, starting with the state law and later our municipal ordinance. We created a public information catalog that goes beyond legal obligations, providing additional data that is beneficial for citizens in open and reusable formats.

We continually enhance accessibility and comprehension. Our portal features an effective search function and meets level AA accessibility standards. Additionally, we’re revamping the 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... portal to be more dynamic, allowing quicker access to information. This includes user-friendly visualizations for various public services, such as parking availability, traffic incidents, and public transport schedules, making the data more understandable for citizens.

Moreover, our budget visualizer, developed in collaboration with the Civio Foundation, allows citizens to track public spending, detailing not only how much is spent but also when and how payments are made.

What lessons have you learned from previous plans that you’re now applying to the fourth action plan?

Angela: This fourth OGP action plan emphasizes specific commitments that demonstrate the City Council’s dedication to transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. It builds on previous plans while introducing a more extensive strategic framework.

Additionally, we’re committed to gathering and amplifying past experiences, focusing particularly on involving youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... in our initiatives. Our training programs for officials in transparency practices are ongoing, ensuring that these principles become an integral part of our administrative culture. This includes regular courses on how to effectively use and explain the transparency and open data portals, making sure our officials are well-equipped to serve the public.

María Pía: Defining a strategic framework for open government is crucial. It outlines our long-term strategies and leads to five specific commitments. This common roadmap is vital for all directorates, fostering better teamwork and enhancing our collaborative efforts.

A pivotal insight came from a recommendation during a conversation with OGP Local Lead José Marín, who emphasized that while Madrid is a pioneer in open government, we need to communicate our broader efforts, not just the smaller commitments. It’s essential to highlight that our established open government practices, ongoing transparency, and the functionality of mechanisms like the lobbyist register and Decide Madrid are part of a comprehensive strategic framework.

The success of this plan lies not only in our achievements but also in solidifying our communication strategies. It’s not enough to innovate or launch participation platforms—a robust strategic framework is necessary to guide future efforts and ensure continuity in our initiatives.

How has OGP helped Madrid in increasing participation and transparency? What recommendations would you give to our members to make the most of OGP and OGP Local initiatives?

María Pía: The role of the OGP is crucial because it supports us throughout this process. It understands our challenges and encourages us to move forward. OGP values both our small achievements and the obstacles we face. One of its strengths is fostering a sense of equality among cities, whether large like Madrid or smaller ones. We learn from each other, and OGP helps us celebrate our successes while pushing us to strive for continuous improvement.

Angela: OGP’s support is fundamental. Navigating changes within our organization can be challenging, but having OGP’s guidance provides us with the confidence to persevere. OGP helps us develop ideas around co-creation and has offered valuable insights from OGP events like the Summit in Estonia last year. We’ve learned new ways to engage with civil society and reflect on past weaknesses in our plans. OGP’s evaluations and follow-ups have highlighted areas for improvement, allowing us to leverage that knowledge in our new action plans. The dynamic and flexible approach of OGP contrasts with the sometimes rigid nature of public administration, and we benefit greatly from that perspective.