topic report 4: state of play in romania
TRANSCRIPT
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EuropeanPublicSectorInformationPlatform
TopicReportNo.2011/4
StateofPlay:PSIre-useinRomania
Author:DanielDittrich
Published:October2011
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Keywords
Romania,PSIre-use,OpenGovernmentData,Legislation,Licensing,Pricemodels,Public
Sector,OpenGovernment,Community,EU
AbstractThelegislativeframeworkinRomaniaissettosupportthere-useofPSI.Aswithmanyother
laws,implementationprovestobethemissinglinkduetolimitedinstitutionalcapacity.
Properlegislationisinplacebutinpracticeimplementationislaggingbehind.
RomanianCivilSocietyOrganisationsaretraditionallyactiveonRighttoAccessInformation
andAnti-Corruptionissues.Howevertheyhaveonlyrecentlystartedworkingmoreactively
onTransparencyandOpenData/PSIre-useissues.NewtypesofPSIre-userssuchasApp
Developershavenotyetjointforceswithmoretraditionalcommercialre-users,suchasre-
usersofgeodata.
TheRomanianGovernmentisnotpro-activeonOpenGovernmentandOpenData/PSIre-useissues.SincePublicSectorBodiesinRomaniaarecurrentlyfacingbudgetaryconstrains
andalackofresources,theyareunlikelytoimproveaccesstoPSIandfacilitatere-useofPSI
untilpublicdemandrises.
Currently,publicpressureforincreasedaccesstoPSIremainslimitedinspiteoftheactive
participationofcivilsocietyorganisationsaroundtheissue.
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Contents
ExecutiveSummary.....................................................................................................................5
1Introduction................................................................................................................................5
2LegislativeFramework............................................................................................................6
3ImplementationofthePSIDirectiveandINSPIRE.........................................................9
4DoesthelegalframeworksupportPSIre-use?...................... ................. .................. ....11
5GovernmentPolicy................ ................. .................. .................. .................. ................. ..........11
6PublicSectorBodies(PSBs)............................ .................. .................. ................. ................13
7PrivateSectorPSIre-users.................. .................. .................. ................. .................. ..........13
8CivilSociety&otherPSIre-users.................. .................. .................. ................. ................14
9Publicopinion&Media....... ................. .................. .................. .................. ................. ..........15
10Conclusions.................. ................. .................. .................. .................. ................. .................. .16
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Abstract
ThelegislativeframeworkinRomaniaissettosupportthere-useofPSI.Aswithmany
otherlaws,implementationprovestobethemissinglinkduetolimitedinstitutional
capacity.Properlegislationisinplacebutinpracticeimplementationislaggingbehind.
RomanianCivilSocietyOrganisationsaretraditionallyactiveonRighttoAccessInformation
andAnti-Corruptionissues.Howevertheyhaveonlyrecentlystartedworkingmoreactively
onTransparencyandOpenData/PSIre-useissues.NewtypesofPSIre-userssuchasApp
Developershavenotyetjointforceswithmoretraditionalcommercialre-users,suchasre-
usersofgeodata.
TheRomanianGovernmentisnotpro-activeonOpenGovernmentandOpenData/PSIre-
useissues.SincePublicSectorBodiesinRomaniaarecurrentlyfacingbudgetaryconstrains
andalackofresources,theyareunlikelytoimproveaccesstoPSIandfacilitatere-useof
PSIuntilpublicdemandrises.
Currently,publicpressureforincreasedaccesstoPSIremainslimitedinspiteoftheactive
participationofcivilsocietyorganisationsaroundtheissue.
1 IntroductionThisreportaimstogiveanoverviewofthestateofplayforPSIre-useinRomania.Itcovers
thelegislativeframeworksurroundingPSIre-use,spotlightsGovernmentpoliciesandthe
practicesofPublicSectorBodies.ItalsohighlightscasesofPSIre-useintheprivatesectoraswellastheactivitiesbycivilsocietyorganisationsandgrassrootsinitiativesaroundthe
issueinrecentyears.
Romania'sadministrationisrelativelycentralised.AsinotherEUMemberStatesPSIre-use
isimpacteddirectlyandindirectlybyavarietyoflawsandregulations.PSIre-useisdirectly
regulatedbythenationalimplementationoftheECPSIandINSPIREDirectives,and
indirectlyaffectedamongothersbylawsonRighttoAccessInformationandPrivacy.
RomanianlegislationonPSIre-useiscomparablewithotherEUMemberStates.Thereis,
howeveraspecificfeature:startingwith2008,re-useisfreeofchargesimilartotheAccesstoPublicInformationlegislation(Lawno.544/2001).
AnotherspecificfeatureinRomaniaarisesfromthefactthatcorruptionisstillamajor
issue.Therefore,severallawsrelatedtoanti-corruptionalsoaffectPSIre-use.PSI-related
legislationisoftenusedbyNGOsorjournaliststryingtoaccessInformationonthe
parliamentoronpublicsectorservantsorpoliticiansaspartoftheirengagementfor
greatergovernmenttransparencyandaccountability.
SimilartoothernewEUmemberstates,RomaniahasamodernConstitutionandthe
legislativeframeworkinplaceisreadytosupportthere-useofPSI.Whilepublic
organizationsthroughouttheworldarefacingbudgetaryconstraints,thelackofresources
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isperhapsevenmoredramaticinRomania.Asidefromsimplylackingthemoneyandthe
qualifiedhumanresources,Romanianpublicadministrativeauthorities(especiallythelocal
levels)haveastrainedinstitutionalcapacity.Aswithmanyotherlaws,implementation
provestobethemissinglinkduetothislimitedinstitutionalcapacity.
2 LegislativeFrameworkAccordingtotheConstitutionofRomania,theadministrationofitsterritoryisorganized
into41counties,211towns(urbanareas)and2827communes(ruralareas).Thenational
capitalBucharesthasaspecialstatus.TheMunicipalityofBucharestisofficiallydividedinto
sixsectors,eachsectorhavingalocalgovernmentandcouncil.
Romaniaisasemi-presidentialRepublicwhereexecutivefunctionsareheldbyboth
GovernmentandthePresident.Thepresidentiselectedbypopularvote.Thelegislative
branchofthegovernmentistheParliamentwhichconsistsoftwochambers:theSenatewith140members,andtheChamberofDeputieswith346members.Themembersofboth
chambersareelectedeveryfouryearsunderasystemofparty-listproportional
representation.
Romaniahasanindustrialized,openfree-marketeconomy,withalarge,moderately
advancedprivatesectorandanumberofstrategicstate-ownedenterprises.TheWorld
Bankclassifiesitasan"upper-middle-incomeeconomy"1withanominalGDPof$11,860
percapitain2010.
TheConstitutionofRomania2wasapprovedinanationalreferenduminDecember1991.
AplebisciteheldinOctober2003approved79amendmentstotheConstitution,bringingit
intoconformitywithEuropeanUnionlegislation.Article31oftheConstitutionguarantees
therightofthepublictoaccessinformationofapublicinterest:
Aperson'srightofaccesstoanyinformationofpublicinterestshallnotberestricted.
Thepublicauthorities,accordingtotheircompetence,shallbeboundtoprovidecorrectinformationtothecitizensinpublicaffairsandmattersofpersonalinterest.
TheLawRegardingFreeAccesstoInformationofPublicInterest3wasapprovedin
October2001.Theimplementingregulationsofthelawstate,freeandunrestrained
accesstoinformationofpublicinterestshallbetheruleandlimitationofaccessshallbe
theexemption.Itallowsforanypersontoaskforinformationfrompublicauthoritiesand
statecompanies.Theauthoritiesmustrespondin10days.
1 CountryClassificationGroups.WorldBank.2005.Retrieved2008-08-31.
2 http://www.cdep.ro/pls/dic/site.page?id=371
3
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/unpan/unpan034189.pdf
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Thereareexemptionsmadeforconcernsrelatedtonationalsecurity,publicsafetyand
publicorder,deliberationsofauthorities,commercialorfinancialinterests,personal
information,proceedingsduringcriminalordisciplinaryinvestigations,judicialproceedings,
andinformationprejudicialtothemeasuresofprotectingtheyouth.
Requeststoaccessinformationthataredenied,canbeappealledtotheagencyconcerned
ortoacourt.Publicemployeescanbedisciplinedforrefusingtodiscloseinformation.The
PeoplesAdvocate4(Ombudsman)canalsohearcomplaintsandmakerecommendations.
Authoritiesmustalsopro-activelypublishawidevarietyofbasicinformationabouttheir
structuresandactivitiesincludingtheirregisterofdocumentsinthepublicinterest.They
arerequiredtosetupspecializeddivisionstodealwiththeAct.
AccordingtotheRomanianCopyrightLaw5,3Art.9thefollowingshallnotbenefitfrom
thelegalprotectionaccordedtocopyright:
officialtextsofapolitical,legislative,administrativeorjudicialnature,andofficialtranslationsthereof;
newsandpressinformation; simplefactsanddata.
HoweveritremainsunclearastowhatextendPSIisaffectedbythis.
TheLawonAccesstothePersonalFileandtheDisclosureoftheSecuritateasaPolitical
Police6enactedin1999allowsRomaniancitizenstoaccesstheirSecuritate(theformer
secretpolice)files.Italsoallowspublicaccesstothefilesofthoseaspiringforpublicoffice
andotherinformationrelatingtotheactivitiesoftheSecuritate.Thelawsetupthe
NationalCouncilfortheSearchofSecurityArchives7(CNSAS)toadministerthearchives.
TheLawonProtectionofPersonsconcerningtheProcessingofPersonalDataandthe
FreeCirculationofSuchData8enactedin2001allowsindividualstoaccessandcorrectpersonalinformationheldbypublicorprivatebodies.ItisenforcedbytheNational
AuthorityfortheSupervisionofPersonalDataProcessingwhichwascreatedin2005.
4 http://www.avp.ro/indexen.html
5 http://www.legi-internet.ro/en/copyright.htm
6 http://www.cdep.ro/legislatie/eng/vol44eng.pdf
7 http://www.cnsas.ro/
8 http://www.avp.ro/leg677en.html
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TheLawonNationalArchives9setstherulesonaccesstoinformationinarchives.
Anti-CorruptionLegislation
AccordingtotheNationalSecurityStrategy,corruptionhasbecomeadirectthreatand,
therefore,ataskforthePresident(anditsstaff)asChairmanoftheNationalSupreme
DefenceCouncil.TheAnti-CorruptionStrategy10adoptedinApril2005hasasamissionto
preventandcountercorruptionbyrefiningandrigorouslyimplementthelegalframework,
troughlegislativecoherenceandstabilityandbyinstitutionalstrengtheningoftheentities
withimportanttasksinthisfield.
TheLawonPreventing,DiscoveringandSanctioningofCorruptionActs11(May2000)
institutesmeasuresagainstcorruptionactsandappliestopublicofficials,whoare
compelledtoexercisetheirfunctionsbystrictlyobservingtherulesofprofessionalconduct,
andtoensurecarryingoutofthelegitimaterightsofthecitizens,withoutusingtheirpositionsfortheobtainingofmoney,goodsorotherundueadvantages.
TheLawondecisionaltransparencyinPublicAdministration12(February2003)
establishestheminimalproceduralrulesenforceabletoensuredecisionaltransparency
withinpublicauthoritiesinordertoincreaseresponsibilityofpublicadministrationtoward
thecitizens,tostimulateactiveparticipationofthecitizensintheadministrativedecision-
makingprocessandtoincreasetransparencyinpublicadministration.
TheLawontheStatuteofCivilServants13(December1999)definesthebasicprinciplesof
exercisingthepublicpositions:tocarryouttheiractivitiesfreeofcorruption,abuseof
powerandpoliticalpressures.CivilServantsareprohibitedtoacceptdirectlyorindirectly,
inconsiderationoftheirpublicpositions,giftsorotheradvantages.Theyarealso
prohibitedtodirectlyreceivepetitionsthesolutionsofwhicharewithintheircompetency.
9 http://www.apador.org/en/legi/lege_16_1996_e.rtf
10 http://km.undp.sk/uploads/public/File/AC_Practitioners_Network/romania_anti_corruptio
n_srategy.pdf
11
http://km.undp.sk/uploads/public/File/AC_Practitioners_Network/Romania_Law_78-
2000_updated_Nov_2006.doc
12
http://km.undp.sk/uploads/public/File/AC_Practitioners_Network/romania_law_on_decisi
onal_transparency_in_PAR.pdf
13
http://km.undp.sk/uploads/public/File/AC_Practitioners_Network/Romania_Civil_Servants
_Law.pdf
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TheLawonPublicInternalAudit14regulatesthepublicinternalauditatpublicentities
withrespecttopublicincome,theuseofpublicfundsandthemanagementofpublic
patrimony.
3 ImplementationofthePSIDirectiveandINSPIRE
InlinewiththeprovisionsofEuropeanCommissionDirectiveonthere-useofPublicSector
Information(PSI),Directive2003/98/EC15,Romaniahasinformed16theECthatithas
transposedtheDirectiveintoitsnationallegislation.InApril2007theRomanianParliament
adoptedtheLawno.109/2007onthereuseofpublicsectorinformation.Asinmanyother
Europeancountries,thelegislativebodyoptedforadoptingaseparateactfromthealready
existingLawonaccesstopublicinformation(Lawno.544/2001).
PricingModelsforPSI
Chargescouldbeleviedforthereuseoftheinformation,butthelawhassetoutstrict
provisionsontheamountthatcouldbecharged.Before2008,whenthelawwasamended,
thetotalincomefromthechargeforreusecouldnotexceedthesumofthecostof
collection,production,reproductionanddisseminationofthedocuments.After2008the
chargeislimitedtothecostofcopyingthedocuments,socalledmarginalcosts.
Commercialandnon-commercialreuse
Thelawdistinguishesbetweencommercialandnon-commercialreuse.Non-commercial
reuseisbasedonafreeaccess,nochargesincurredmodel.Itisnothoweverclearwhat
thedifferenceisbetweenfreeaccesstopublicinformationandnon-commercialreuse.The
commercialreuse,ontheotherhand,wassubjectedtofeesuntil2008,whenthelawwas
modifiedinordertopermitreuseforfree.
ExclusiveAgreements
Oneofthemostimportantprovisionsofthelawrelatestoexclusivityarrangements.The
lawprohibitspublicsectorbodiesfromenteringintoexclusivearrangementswithanyapplicant,unlessthisisnecessaryfortheprovisionofaserviceinthepublicinterest.
14
http://km.undp.sk/uploads/public/File/AC_Practitioners_Network/Romania_Law_on_Publi
c_Intenal_Audit.pdf
15 http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0098:EN:NOT
16
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/actions_ms/implementation/index_en.htm
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IntheStudyReusingPublicSectorInformation-PolicyChoicesandExperiencesinsome
oftheMemberStateswithanemphasisontheCaseofRomania17byDacianC.Dragos
andBogdanaNeamtupublishedatEIoPinAugust2009theAuthorsanalysethe
implementationofthePSIDirective:
AftertheadoptionoftheReuseLawno.109/2007,theEuropeanCommission
pointedoutinalettertotheRomanianMinistryofCommunicationandInformation
TechnologyfromJuly2007thatthetranspositionoftheDirectiveonreuseintothe
nationallegislationhasbeendonewithsomeerrorswhichhadtobecorrected.
Thus,Lawno.213/2008wasadoptedfortheamendmentofLawno.109/2007.The
amendmentsincorporatedtherecommendationsreceivedfromtheEuropean
Commission.Theyconcernthefollowingissues:
1. TheCommissionhighlightedtheintentionoftheEuropeanlegislatortoallowthereuseofPSIregardlessofwhetherornotpublicinstitutionshavecopyrightsforthat
information.Theinitialtextexcludedcopyrightprotectedinformationfromreuse,
evenifitsholdersorproducerswerepublicbodies.
2. TheCommissionalsopointedoutthatthenon-discriminatoryprovisionsregardingthereusehavenotbeenproperlytransferredintonationallegislation.Thus,anew
articlewasaddedreaffirmingthenon-discriminatoryconditionsforthereuseof
similartypesofdocuments.
3. TheCommissionconsideredthatthedeadlinestatedinthenationallegislationforsolvingtherequestsforreuseisinadequate.Intheinitialversionofthelaw,itwas
statedthattherequestshouldbesolvedin20daysfromthemomentwhenthe
departmentinchargereceivestherequest.Thisprovisionwasamendedandthe20daysdeadlinestartsfromthemomentwhenarequestislodgedwiththepublic
institution.
4. Perhapsthemostsignificantchangetothelawwastheeliminationoffeesforthereuse.Initially,publicinstitutionswereallowedtochargeafeeforreusethatwould
havecoveredthecostsincurredtopublicinstitutionsforthepreparation,
generationanddisseminationofpublicsectorinformation.TheCommissionargued
thatitwouldbevirtuallyimpossiblefortheGovernmenttosetsomeclear
standardsforcalculatingsuchfeesthatwouldbeapplicableinallsectors.Italso
pointedoutthatthemaingoaloftheDirectiveistotriggerreuseforcommercial
purposesandnottoallowpublicinstitutionstomakemoneyoutofit.Initscurrent
form,theRomanianlawonreuseallowspublicinstitutionstochargeafeeonlyif
thereisacopyingcostassociatedwithmakingavailableforreusetherequested
documents/information.
RomaniasignedtheAarhusConventioninJune1998andratifieditinJuly2000.
GovernmentalDecisionno.878/200518implementsEUDirective2003/4/ECandsetsrules
onpublicaccesstoenvironmentalinformation.
17 http://eiop.or.at/eiop/index.php/eiop/article/view/2009_004a
18 http://www.apador.org/en/legi/hot_1115_2002_e.rtf
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TheINSPIREDirective2007/2/EC19of14March2007establishinganInfrastructurefor
SpatialInformationintheEuropeanCommunityenteredintoforceon15May2007willbe
implementedinvariousstages,withfullimplementationrequiredby2019.TheRomanian
EnvironmentalSDICisincludingalltheinstitutionsthatarecontractedbytheRomanian
MinistryofEnvironmentanditssubordinatedbodiesinprojectsrelatedtoINSPIRE
Directiveimplementation20atthenationallevel.
4 DoesthelegalframeworksupportPSIre-use?LikeothernewEUmemberstates,RomaniahasamodernConstitutionandthelegislative
frameworkissuitedtosupportthere-useofPSI.However,PublicSectorBodiesinRomania
facebudgetaryconstrainsandalsoalackofhumanandphysicalresources.Asresultof
budgetaryconstraintsandqualifiedhumanresources,RomanianPSBs(especiallyatthe
locallevel)havestrainedinstitutionalcapacities.Aswithmanyotherlaws,implementation
hasthusproventobethemainbottleneck.Whiletheproperlegislativeframeworkisin
place,inpracticeimplementationandlawenforcementisoftennotsatisfyingly realised.
5 GovernmentPolicyTheRomanianGovernmentdecidedtoallocate1.9billionlei(500millionEuro)forthe
implementationoftheNationale-Governmentportale-Romaniaforthetimeperiod2010-
2013.Thisportalwillofferavarietyofe-Governmentfunctionsandservicesonline,suchas
payingtaxes,accessingofficialdocumentsandevenelectronicvoting.Accordingtomedia
reports21thecostoftheprojecthassurprisedexpertsinthefield.ThePriceisbeyondall
limits,saysexpertSergiuBirisfromTrilulilu,oneofthemostsuccessfulITcompaniesin
Romania.Ihavenotheardofaportalthat,nomatterhowcomplex,wouldcostmorethan
1millionBirissaid.
AccordingtoaNationalPoll22carriedoutfromApriltoMay2010byInstituteforPublic
Policy(IPP)mostNGOsdonotparticipateinlegislativeprocesseswhilelawmakerswould
liketoinvolvethemmoreandthushavethemprovidemoreinputintothelaw-making
process.
NeelieKroes,Vice-PresidentoftheEuropeanCommission,visitedRomaniainJuly2011and
spokeatthefirsteverRomanianDigitalAgendaConference.ShemetwiththePresident,
PrimeMinister,andtheMinisterforCommunicationsandInformationSocietytotalkabout
theimportanceofgettingeveryEuropeanDigital,andthechallengesfacedbyRomaniain
19 http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32007L0002:EN:NOT
20 http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/42/list/7/id/31007
21 http://www.dailybusiness.ro/stiri-it-c/afacerea-secolului-in-industria-it-pret-
umflat-de-500-de-ori-pentru-portalul-e-romania-investitia-s-ar-amortiza-in-300-de-ani-
39989/
22 http://ipp.ro/pagini/sondaj-na539ional-ongurile-nu-partic.php
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particular.KroeshighlightstheimportanceofpayerslikeEOS23,IREX24andMicrosoft25
activelyengagedandincooperationwithpublicauthorities,librariesandschoolstoget
Romaniaonline.
TheEuropeanInnovationScoreboard200926bytheEuropeanCommissionDirectorate-
GeneralforEnterpriseandIndustrylistsRomaniatogetherwithBulgariaandLatviainthe
groupofcatching-upcountries,withinnovationperformancesignificantlybelowthe
EU27average.However,accordingtothescoreboard,allthreecountriesarerapidlyclosing
theirgaptotheaverageperformanceleveloftheEU27.RomaniaandBulgariahavebeen
improvingtheirperformancethefastestofallMemberStates.
TheUnitedNationsE-GovernmentSurvey2010Leveraginge-governmentatatimeof
financialandeconomiccrisis27,publishedbytheUnitedNationsPublicAdministration
Network(UNPAN)indicatesthatalloftheEuropeanMemberStatesareinthetop50
world-wide.WhileRomaniaisthelastoftheEUtheWebsiteoftheMinistryofFinanceof
Romaniascoredhighfortheregionduetotheavailabilityofanumberofe-servicesaswell
asextensivecontent.
AccordingtotheFreedomHouseSurveyon FreedomintheWorld201128Romaniascores
2onPoliticalRightsand2onCivilLiberties(onscaleof1-7,with1representingthehighest
leveloffreedomand7,thelowest).TheoverallstatusisconsideredasFree.
IntheGlobalIntegrityReport201029carriedoutbytheCenterforPublicIntegrity
RomaniasOverallRatingisModerate(79of100)ThegapbetweenthesorefortheLegal
Framework(95of100)andtheActualImplementation(64of100)illustratestheproblem.
OnPublicRequestsforGovernmentInformationthesoreis58of100.FromtheReport:
BecauseofitscompliancewithEUaccessionmandates,Romaniaearnsasparkling
ratingforitsoveralllegalframeworkincombatingcorruption.However,the
implementationandenforcementofthatlegalframeworkleavemuchtobe
desired.Whistle-blowingmeasuresinthepublicsectordoexist,buttheycontinue
tobeineffectivelargelybecauseofinadequatestaffingandfunding.
IntheCorruptionPerceptionsIndex201030fromTransparencyInternationalRomanias
23 http://www.eos.ro/
24 http://www.irex.ro/
25 http://www.microsoft.com/romania/educatie/partners_in_learning/default.aspx
26 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/10/82
27 http://www2.unpan.org/egovkb/global_reports/10report.htm
28 http://www.freedomhouse.org/images/File/fiw/FIW_2011_Booklet.pdf
29 http://www.globalintegrity.org/report/Romania/2010/
30 http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/in_detail
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scoreis3.7(Relatestoperceptionsofthedegreeofcorruptionasseenbybusinesspeople
andcountryanalystsandrangesbetween10-highlycleanand0-highlycorrupt).
AlsotheWorldBankIndicatorsforGoodGovernance31indicatethatthereisspacefor
improvementforRomaniansGovernmentandAdministration.(Percentilerank-indicates
rankofcountryamongallcountriesintheworld.0correspondstolowestrankand100
correspondstohighestrank.)
1.VoiceandAccountability:59.12.PoliticalInstabilityandViolence:56.03.GovernmentEffectiveness:50.24.RegulatoryQuality:67.65.RuleofLaw:53.66.ControlofCorruption:57.0
6 PublicSectorBodies(PSBs)IntheStudyReusingPublicSectorInformation-PolicyChoicesandExperiencesinsome
oftheMemberStateswithanemphasisontheCaseofRomania32byDacianC.Dragos
andBogdanaNeamtupublishedatEIoPinAugust2009theauthorsanalysetheissueofthe
commercialreuseofPSI.
OneofthechallengesspecificforRomaniaisthelimitedcapacityofpublicinstitutionsto
handletheprocessofre-useinatimelyandefficientmanner.Theimplementationofthe
PSIDirectiveintonationallawplacedanobligationonpublicsectorbodiestolistthemain
documentsintheirpossessionthatareavailableforre-useinAssetLists.Howeverthe
findingsofthestudyindicatetheseAssetListswerenotinplace:
Thewebsitesoftwonationalagenciesresponsibleforcadastralandweather
informationaswellastheonesofalltheministrieswerescrutinizedinorderto
determineifthereareanyinformationassetlistspostedoranyotherrelevant
informationonreuse.Inallcasesnosuchinformationwaspostedonline.
TheNationalIntegrityAgency(ANI)runsawebsitecalledStatementsofAssetsand
Interestswhichcontainspublicinformation,about1.6millionstatementsofassetsand
interestscompletedbydifferentcategoriesofcivilservants.Theinformationcomesfrom
hard-copydocuments,scannedandpostedinelectronicformat(.pdf)inadatabase.
Vehicleandlicenseregistrationdatahasbeenmadeaccessibletothepubliconlinebythe
DirectorateforDrivingLicensesandVehicleRegistration.33
31 http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/sc_country.asp
32 http://eiop.or.at/eiop/index.php/eiop/article/view/2009_004a
33 http://www.drpciv.ro/info-portal/displayStatistics.do?resetForm=true
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7 PrivateSectorPSIre-usersBogdanManolea,RomanianITLawexpert,reports34fromameetinginMarch2011with
representativesfromtheGovernmentandMicrosoftRomania.MicrosoftandtheInstitute
forCulturalMemory35(CIMEC)havealreadystartedworkonalocalprojectpublishing
someofthedataofCIMECasopendatausingMicrosofsOpenGovernmentDataInitiative36(OGDI)solutioninthecloud.AdrianStanescu,representativeofMinistryof
CommunicationsandInformationSociety37(MCSI),saidtheMinistryisworkingona
frameworkforinteroperabilityanddataexchange.Theprojectsresultwillbeadata
register(whereinformationwillbeenteredbyinstitutionsthatgenerateandupdatethat
information,e.g.RomanianPostalServicesforpostalcodes)thatwillmakeinformation
availabletopublicasopendata.
Othercommercialre-usersofPSIincludegeodatare-users,38monitorsofpublic
auctions39andre-useofdataforcarregistrations.40
8 CivilSociety&otherPSIre-userseHartaHistoricalMaps41isacollectionofthousandsofoldgeo-referencedmaps,
publishedanddocumentedwiththehelpofthecommunity.Thedataispublishedbygeo-
spatial.org-acollaborativeonlineplatformaimingtofacilitatethesharingofgeo-spatial
knowledgeandthediscoveryandpublishingoffreegeographicdatasetsandmapsforthe
Romaniancommunity.
VasileCrciunescuthecreatorofeHartaHistoricalMapshasbeenawardedwiththe
BetterDataAwardintheEuropewideOpenDataChallenge42.NeelieKroes,Vice
PresidentoftheEuropeanCommissionpersonallyhandedtheawardstothewinnersattheDigitalAgendaAssembly(DAA)on24June2011inBrussels.Thiswasalsocovered43by
34 http://legi-internet.ro/blogs/index.php/2011/03/11/open-data-romania-date-
deschise
35 http://www.cimec.ro/
36 http://dev.govdata.eu/
37 http://www.mcsi.ro/
38 Seeforexample:http://www.brantax.com/,http://www.mikon.ro/ro/servicii/aplicatii-gis-si-de-mediu.htmland
http://www.ingr.ro/solutii_geospatiale/
39 http://www.info-licitatie.ro/agentieconomici/2-seap
40
http://apia.softnet.ro/index.php?mact=News%2ccntnt01%2cdetail%2c0&cntnt01articleid=
5&cntnt01origid=15&cntnt01returnid=15
41 http://earth.unibuc.ro/articole/eHarta?lang=en
42 http://opendatachallenge.org/
43 http://www.wall-street.ro/articol/IT-C-Tehnologie/99933/Energia-in-UE-Cum-sa-
intelegi-statisticile-in-cateva-minute.html
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ePSIplatform Topic Report No: 2011 / 4 October 2011 Page 14
WallStreetJournalRomania.
TheInstitutulpentruPoliticiPublice44(englisch:InstituteforPublicPolicy-IPP)isa
Romaniannon-governmentalorganizationthatadvocatesforimprovingthequalityof
policymakingprocessesinRomania.
IPPcarriesoutresearchandadvocacyinareassuchaspublicadministrationreform,
transparencyofinstitutionsandtheintegrityofelectedofficials.ItopenedtheCenterfor
PublicPolicySupport45,whichgivesallstakeholdersaccesstoresourcesandthe
opportunitytobenefitfromtechnicalassistancefreeofchargeinthepreparationand
evaluationofpublicpolicies.ForoverfiveyearstheIPPhassoughttoassertandprotect
therightofaccesstopublicinformation.
TheIPPhascreatedawebsitewithstructureddataabouttheRomanianParliamentcalled
AlesiiVoteaza(englisch:electedvoting).AlesiiVoteaza46istrackingthethelawmaking
processandtheactivitiesofSenatorsandDeputies.Mostdataistakenfromthetwo
websitesofParliamentwww.cdep.roandwww.senat.roandthePermanentElectoral
Authority47.TheDataisdisplayedinawaysoitcanefficientlyandeasilybeexploredand
searched.Thesitewasfirstlaunchedin2006andredesignedin2010.
AdrianMoraru,deputydirectorwithIPPexplainsinaninterview48howtheyhavehadto
obtainmuchoftheirParliamentarydatabycourtaction:
Youaregoodatusingthelawtoobtaininformation.Canyoutellusabitabout
yourapproach,andwhatinformationyouveobtainedthroughthecourts?
Thisisaverydistincttopic.WealwaysaskforinformationviaourFreedomof
Informationact,usingaspecialformatofletterwhichcannotbecompletely
ignored.Wehavelawyersfollowingtheflowofrequeststogetherwithanoffice
managerandwesueeverytimewedonotgetananswer,haveourrequestdenied
orfindthatinformationwevebeenprovidedwithisincomplete.
Weaskforalot.Alot!Usuallywefightfordatathatexposesbadpracticesand
mostofthethingsinvolvingexpensesormoney.Itisherewherethereisalotto
hurtbadpoliticiansbyexposinghowunwiselysomeofthemarespendingthe
money.
Do you ever faceclaims thatthe effects you haveon politicians arent entirely
positive?Ifso,howdoyourespond?
44 http://www.ipp.ro/
45 http://www.ipp.ro/pagini/centrului-de-suport-pentru-politici-publ.php
46 http://www.alesiivoteaza.ro/
47 http://www.roaep.ro/
48 http://www.mysociety.org/2007/10/04/interview-with-romanian-edemocracy-
site-builder-adrian-moraru/
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ePSIplatform Topic Report No: 2011 / 4 October 2011 Page 15
Yeslargepartsofthedatabaseshurtsa lotofthemagreatdeal.Letsjustsaywe
arenotscared.Butontheotherhandwestrivetogetthebestdataandtopresent
itinanonaggressive,nonbiasedwayusingthebestalgorithms.
GuvernareLocala49(englisch:LocalGovernment)isaplatformfornewsregardingthelocal
administration.ItisisdevelopedbyIPPwithfinancialsupportfromtheTrustforCivil
SocietyinCentralandEasternEurope(CEETrust).
9 Publicopinion&MediaThereislittleattentioninmassmediaspecifictothere-useofPSI.Therearehoweversome
exceptionslikeMirceaSarbuswriting50ondatajournalismfortheBusinessMagazine.
Thereisalsoagrowingattentionto,andcoverageof,PSIre-useinspecialisedblogs51and
onsocialmedialikeTwitter52.
ThereisanactiveCivilSocietywithnumerouswellestablishedNGOspromoting
GovernmentTransparency,AccountabilityandAnti-Corruption.Theiractivities,projects
andcampaignsoftenprovetoattractmediaattentionverywellandsotheyplaya
significantroleinthepublicdebate.
10ConclusionsThelegalframeworksurroundingPSIre-useinRomaniaisuptodateandandinlinewith
EUregulations.Intheory,thesesupportPSIre-usebuttheimplementationofthelawsand
lawenforcement,especiallyonthelocallevel,doesnotcorrespondtothehighlevelofthe
legislationinplace.Administrativestructureslackfinancial,personalandinstitutional
capacityforproperimplementation.Nonetheless,therehavebeensomeinitiativesbyPSBs
andthegovernmenthasembarkedonanambitiouse-governmentprogramme.
CommercialPSIre-usehasbeenmostlyrestrictedtotraditionalre-usersbutnewplayers
areincreasinglyshowinginterestinPSIre-use.AnumberofcommittedCSOsareactiveon
PSIissuesbutwhilethereispublicinterestinincreasedtransparencyandaccessto
information,thishasnotbeeneffectivelyarticulatedtodate,thusthereislittlepolitical
pressurearoundtheissue.MediaandcivilsocietywatchdogshaveactivelyusedPSI
49 http://www.guvernarelocala.ro/
50 http://www.businessmagazin.ro/opinii/jurnalism-cu-cifre-7458352
51 http://legi-internet.ro/blogs/index.php/2011/03/11/open-data-romania-date-
deschise
52 http://twitter.com/#!/OpenDataBG
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S l f i / O b
legislationforanti-coirruptionpurposes.
About the Author
DanielDietrich,born1973inFrankfurt,Germany.Hisacademicworksurroundspoliticalscience,computerscienceandcommunicationscienceinFrankfurtandBerlin.Heworksas
ResearchAssociateatTechnicalUniversityBerlin,DepartmentofInternetandSociety.Heis
workingpart-timefortheOpenKnowledgeFoundation(OKF),since2009.Heistheofficial
representativeandtheChairmanoftheGermanChapteroftheOpenKnowledge
Foundation.IamtheProjectCoordinatorfortheOKFProjectOpenDefinitionaswellasthe
CoordinatoroftheWorkingGrouponOpenGovernmentDataandtheWorkingGroupon
OpenDataintheEU.Heisalsoco-founderandChairmanoftheOpenDataNetwork,anon-
profitadvocacyorganisationtopromotetheOpenData,OpenGovernmentand
TransparencyinGermanyandbeyond.In2011hebecameEditoroftheePSIplatform.
Copyright information
2011EuropeanPSIPlatform-Thisdocumentandallmaterialthereinhasbeencompiled
withgreatcare.However,theauthor,editorand/orpublisherand/oranypartywithinthe
EuropeanPSIPlatformoritspredecessorprojectstheePSIplusNetworkprojectorePSINet
consortiumcannotbeheldliableinanywayfortheconsequencesofusingthecontentof
thisdocumentand/oranymaterialreferencedtherein.Thisreporthasbeenpublished
undertheauspicesoftheEuropeanPublicSectorInformationPlatform.
ThereportmaybereproducedprovidingacknowledgementismadetotheEuropeanPublic
SectorInformation(PSI)Platform.The EuropeanPublicSectorInformation(PSI)
PlatformisfundedundertheEuropeanCommissioneContentplusprogramme.