For a more transparent Assembly, with e-participation, open formats, and citizens’ budget
The word parliament has no sense without the word citizen. Hence, a functional parliament is one that is in constant contact with its citizens. One that ensures that the perspectives of women and men, of youth, those of minorities and the most vulnerable, those of experts and stakeholders, and so on, are reflected in its work. An open and transparent parliament is thus a crucial mark of a democratic state, and ensuring public trust and civic participation is its vital role and responsibility.
Open Data Kosovo regularly monitors and assesses the work of open government in Kosovo through a methodology based on four guiding principles. The principles in question, transparency, accessibility, integrity and awareness, form the basis for assessing data sourced from the Regional Openness Index, a tool which measures the extent to which institutions of the Western Balkans are open to citizens and society.
A parliament is ‘transparent’ if its organisational data, budgets, and public procurement processes are publicly accessible. It is ‘accessible’ if its policies are well-established, systematically improved in terms of accessibility through public discussions, and the promotion of citizen engagement. It has ‘integrity’ in terms of lobbying, code of ethics, and efforts to combat corruption. And lastly, a parliament is ‘aware’ if it focuses on observing and assessing policies implemented by institutions.
According to Open Data Kosovo, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo generally reflects all the principles mentioned above. It demonstrates the cumulative efforts made throughout the years, and tops the list as the most open institution in Kosovo due to regular dissemination of details about decisions and activities. The Assembly’s website is consistently updated, its agendas are pre-released, and it provides access to all laws, amendments, draft legislation, rules, strategies, and work reports.
The Kosovo public is generally well-informed about what is happening in parliamentary sessions as they are regularly broadcasted. The Assembly’s commitment is proven with the adoption of several key documents related to accountability and transparency the Regulation of the Assembly, the Regulation on the order and access of the media and the public, and the Strategy for international relations and parliamentary diplomacy, which focuses on enhancing Kosovo’s diplomatic relations through parliamentary channels.
Yet, there are still aspects that are lacking in terms of openness of the Assembly and should be taken into account for further improvement. An essential one remains the issue of closed formats which pose difficulties in accessing and using the information, the PDF version. Not only do closed formats pose challenges for citizens, researchers, and civil society organisations who aim at using the data for various purposes, they hinder stakeholders in extracting and efficiently utilising the information as well. The good news is that the publication of documents in open formats is part of the Open Assembly Action Plan, and it aims to ensure and promote open format as one of the transparency best practices.
Another limitation that currently hinders the openness of the Assembly is electronic petitions. In the past year, the Assembly reviewed a total of 28 petitions handed over in the physical form. This is a sign that the petition is being used as a citizen’s tool to be heard on matters that matter to them and their lives. Therefore, e-participation is on the way. A collaboration between ODK and the Assembly of Kosovo, this digital tool is a further commitment in advancing the work of the Assembly. As a more effective tool and form of communication and mobilisation within various groups of citizens and stakeholders, it remains a promising area and the anticipated approval of the Law on Petitions is a crucial step toward implementing this aspect of institutional improvement.
