Kosovo’s efforts towards its OGP membership
Author: Shqipe Gjocaj
Different political systems may play a crucial role in how citizens seek and receive services, as well as how they engage in decision-making. Since communist years under former Yugoslavia, Kosovo citizens were subjected to a system where they were guided and told how to navigate an administrative building or space, where to wait, who to talk to, and where to sign a certain document.
While the system in question was not exclusive to Kosovo since the digitalization of services is a recent development in modern civilization, Kosovo was not the independent state it is today. Since the beginning of 2000s when Kosovo started establishing its institutions and gradually digitising services, women and men have been adjusting to a self-governance system, enabling them to seek and receive services independently.
The transition in question, from physical to digital, have come with certain challenges, but also facilities and advantages considering certain factual circumstances. Namely, Kosovo’s young average population, high level of internet penetration, as well as the wide availability of smart devices.
One of the crucial aspects that will further strengthen Kosovo’s sustainability towards building a democratic system, where open data is easily accessible, accurate and comprehensive, with digital solutions and centralised services, is Kosovo’s membership in Open Government Partnership (OGP).
Kosovo’s attempt to join 76 states within OGP, which in the global level constitute about two billion population, started in 2013. As a process, it was initiated by Lëvizja FOL, a local NGO that specialises in good governance practises and policies. At the time, Lëvizja Fol with the Ministry of European Integration, initiated concrete steps aiming for OGP membership.
The first National Action Plan was designed, all criteria and conditions by OGP were met, tasks and responsibilities were assigned to respective institutions. The first National Action Plan was not implemented unilaterally by Kosovo’s Government at the time. Unfortunately, the Kosovo government received the notification letter that it cannot be part of the initiative. Ever since, the Republic of Kosovo has committed to the principles of open and accountable government.
A very strong trait of Kosovo’s digitalization process is the strong cooperation between public institutions with civil society and its citizens in general. Such cooperation is a critical condition set by OGP for its potential member states. Having that in mind, continuous efforts and attempts were made in order to put Kosovo in the digital governance realm.
A portal of open data was developed by the local non-profit organisation, Open Data Kosovo (ODK). The portal in question was assigned to the Agency for Information Society and it was filled in with data from several institutions in different municipalities, including procurement data, various statistics, and so on.
Considering that Kosovo did not manage to gain an OGP membership, the government decided to start doing its homework, namely opening the data. In 2016, the Open Data Charter was published and the Agency for Information Society (AIS) was assigned to conduct a portal of open data. The Charter was created with the aim of including all institutions in the country to increase their transparency, aiming to create a culture of data disclosure and increase cooperation between institutions and stakeholders.
In 2019, the Law on Access to Official Documents was approved with a particular chapter on the principles and publication of open data. The law in question now serves as a substitute for the previous law approved in 2007 named The Law on Access to Official Documents.
Other decisions followed, such as the establishment of institutional structures for open data, where responsive people were assigned respective tasks and responsibilities were assigned.
The attempts in question by institutions and civil society organisations have resulted in tangible achievements. Several initiatives and attempts towards opening the data and building transparent and accountable institutions, come to mind. The Portal for Open Data, the Platform for Public Consultations, e-participation, e-Kosova, The Platform for Public Financing of Civil Society Organisations, e-procurement, and more.
On 8 June 2021 the government of Kosovo once again took the decision to continue the initiative for membership at the OGP. The lead Ministry appointed to coordinate and foster the national initiative is the Ministry of Local Government Administration. The National Action Plan will cover the period of 2022–2024 and will provide concrete feasible action items that aim at increasing governmental transparency, all while including the civil society organisations as main catalysts and strong allies of the initiative. OGP membership would set the path towards promoting an open and transparent governance, citizen participation in decision-making, inclusiveness and accountable governance.
Nonetheless, there are still difficulties encountered with the transition in question. The difficulties vary from the fact that current digital solutions lack in richness of content, lack of data in general, to concerns related to the quality of data. In addition, to a certain degree, there is scepticism among citizens about the legitimacy of digital services given the long tradition of seeking and receiving services in the physical, material form.
The challenge in question is being facilitated through various means. In AIS for instance, after the e-Kosova platform was launched at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, free of charge phone lines were created and additional staff was employed in order to answer the calls and provide the citizens with the needed help regarding how to use digital services.
Another significant issue regarding Kosovo’s challenges to open data involves the issue of data interoperability. In other words, while there are data platforms that are public, in most cases, the data cannot be created, exchanged and consumed in order to have clear, shared expectations for the contents, context and meaning of that data.
As a response to the lack of interoperability, a platform based on high standards of security, was developed. The platform in question ensures interoperability or data exchange between the following institutions: The Kosovo Business Registration Agency, Civil Registration Agency, Tax Administration of Kosovo, Customs, Kosovo Cadastral Agency, etc. This interoperability platform is one of the first initiatives to foster communication between data from various institutions. Otherwise, each institution collects data and stores it in their system, thus data is scattered across these institutions. Consequently, the responsibility for securing such data is also scattered within such institutions. As reported by AIS, there are around 100 digital databases across these institutions.
One cannot elaborate enough on the need and the importance of building new means and coming with new digital solutions, as well as improving the existing ones. This attitude is not specific to Kosovo, since the digitization process and open governance is happening at an unprecedented pace and the technological revolution is fundamentally changing how we perceive governance, citizenship, people’s agency and their role in decision-making.
Nevertheless, it must be stated that Kosovo’s membership in OGP does not depend solely on whether the country fulfils the criteria set by OGP. Kosovo’s main challenge towards joining OGP remains the political aspect. Namely, the fact that some country members in OGP do not recognize Kosovo’s statehood which blocks Kosovo in the membership process.
While effective lobbying from government officials and civil society representatives towards its OGP membership persists, mobilised stakeholders in Kosovo continue contributing with their fair share towards building a sustainable open governance. According to the Transparency International 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, Kosovo has shown progress in the fight against corruption. From 104, it now ranks 87.
With the highest level of internet usage, youngest average population, and the highest number of information technology companies in the region, Kosovo keeps on doing its homework towards opening its data and providing qualitative digital services for its citizens. Homework that will keep on providing new forms of communication, ensuring transparency and accountability, and public services through the infrastructure of information technology.
*This article has been published by Open Data Kosovo as part of the “Initiative for Open & Good Governance” project funded by the MATRA 2020 program as part of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Kosovo. The article is the sole responsibility of Open Data Kosovo and does not reflect the opinions of the Embassy of the Netherlands.
