Open Government Partnership
Boost the digital sovereignty of the administration by establishing a common development portal for free software. Make information on public tenders more accessible. These are just two examples of Open Government. The Cabinet has adopted a new action plan to boost the transparency of government action and increase citizen involvement.
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Germany advocates open government and administration, both nationally and internationally.
Photo: Open Government Partnership
On Wednesday, the Cabinet adopted the Third National Action Plan 2021-2023 as part of Germany’s participation in the Open Government Partnership (OGP).
The action plan comprises a total of eleven commitments by the federal ministries, some of them in cooperation with several federal states, aimed at bringing in additional policy areas to the discourse on open government.
Plans include the following:
- improving access to federal law (e.g. administrative regulations and ordinances)
- publishing information from the Integrity Report as open data
- ensuring central provision of data on public procurement
- establishing a joint development portal for free software in administration
- involving citizens in the question of how the UNESCO sustainable development goals can be integrated in the education system more effectively
- consolidating environmental stakeholder processes on trace substances (e.g. pharmaceutical and pesticide residues)
- establishing a national biodiversity monitoring centre.
What is the OGP?
The Open Government Partnership is a coalition of 78 countries committed to transparency and participation, the fight against corruption and the use of new technologies to tackle the challenges facing society. The partnership works primarily through knowledge-sharing and the regular development of national action plans in dialogue with society at large.
Germany has been a member of the OGP since December 2016, advocating open government and administration at both national and international levels. Since October 2019, Germany has also had a seat on the organisation’s steering committee and is involved in shaping its development.
So in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic – indeed as a result of it – Germany is demonstrating once against the diverse range of projects that can be pursued under the open government programme, even at the end of a legislative period.
See the Open Government Germany website for further information about open government and the OGP. Here you will also find a preview of the action plan available for download.