The Catalan Ombudsman has presented theAnnual report on transparency, access to public information and good governance, corresponding to the year 2021. This is the sixth report which has been drawn up by the Catalan Ombudsman since Law 19/2014, of 29 December, on transparency, access to public information and good governance, entrusted him with the function of assessing compliance with the obligations regulated therein.
With regard to active advertising, the Catalan Ombudsman:
- Insist on the perception of stagnation in the deployment of advertising obligations in many administrations with fewer resources.
- Report that the double speed in informative advertising is maintained, with smaller administrations, dependent bodies and those of an associative nature clearly below the larger territorial administrations
What does the AOC have to do with active advertising?
If we go into detail in the reflections made by the Catalan Ombudsman in his report, associated with the services and solutions of Open Government that the AOC provides to the local world with the collaboration of the Network of Transparent Governments of Catalonia, we observe that the AOC can help improve compliance with the active advertising requirements of smaller entities.
“Given the success of the AOC platform to generate transparency portals in municipalities with less capacity, the possibility of adapting a platform format for instrumental bodies should be assessed so that those with more difficulties can be accommodated. of its own portal. ”
- The AOC currently offers transparency portals to 1.235 local authorities, mainly town councils, but more and more local bodies are dependent on the service. One of the aims of the Transparent Governments Network is to provide them with resources to make it easier for them to comply with transparency.
“The AOC platform makes it easier to feed the portal with content, especially for entities with fewer resources, but it can generate in some administrations the false impression that the AOC will provide the content, when in reality it can only do so if they appear previously in another publication platform of all entities (public register of contracts, advertising of economic information on the website of the Audit Office, among others) "
- With the work of revitalization, dissemination and training undertaken by the various institutions that make up the Network of Transparent Governments, with the frequent collaboration of county councils, we hope to help the message that all that is automatic is because it has previously been informed a supra-municipal body. Work is also continuing to incorporate new automated data sources into the portal.
Some of the entities that use the AOC platform publish only the information generated by that platform in an automated way by the Consortium of Open Administration of Catalonia (AOC), which is the one used by the portals of a large majority of local entities. ”
- The different institutions that make up the XGT are working in a coordinated manner to provide resources (training, guides and good practices, collaboration) to help local authorities meet their obligations of transparency beyond automatic items.
In this report, the Catalan Ombudsman recovers the analysis of the areas related to good governance, good administration and open government, as the previous edition, due to the context experienced in 2020, was limited to assessing the obligations of transparency and the right of access to public information. It has also taken into account the entry into force of Decree 8/2021, of 9 February, on transparency and the right of access to public information, and the specifics on the legal obligations it incorporates.
Other recommendations and considerations that the Catalan Ombudsman includes in his report:
- Consider that the the right of access to public information is consolidated in the citizenry, but there are still many people who do not know him.
- In the matter of indicates that there is no significant progress, awaiting a reform of the legal model, which guarantees the effective publicity of the activity of influence in all public administrations.
- In terms of open government, the study concludes that administrations should have channels of communication with the public that they guarantee a real dialogue, and that they go beyond punctual consultations on concrete questions.
- Finally, with regard to the guarantee system, once again the Catalan Ombudsman emphasizes that it is necessary to reform the sanctioning regime of Law 19/2014 because it fulfills its function.
With regard to the more global nature associated with public integrity, it should be noted that the Catalan Ombudsman's Report also refers to the initiative of the Association of Municipalities of Catalonia (ACM), in collaboration with the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia. (OAC) and the Consortium of Open Administration of Catalonia (AOC), to develop and apply in the form of a pilot test a methodology for local governments to develop their integrity plans, in order to promote the introduction of this instrument of good governance at the local level.
