Foreword

Open government is defined by the OECD as “a culture of governance that promotes the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation in support of democracy and inclusive growth”. This concept is based on the idea that citizens, civil society and other stakeholders should be enabled and empowered to oversee and take an active part in public decisions and actions. Open government policies and practices are today widely recognised as important avenues to reinforcing democracy and strengthening trust in public institutions. In this regard, the results of the OECD’s first Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions highlight that giving access to public information, providing opportunities to engage in the policymaking process, and responding to public feedback and demands can strongly affect the way citizens perceive their government. For example, the Survey shows that fewer than one-third of respondents feel the political system in their country allows them to have a say in government decision making. Evidence also shows that open government policies can help increase the responsiveness of public policies and services by considering stakeholders' viewpoints and concerns, ultimately improving outcomes for citizens and the economy.

Romania has implemented a range of initiatives to promote open government in recent decades with notable positive results. As a member of the Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) from 2015 to 2021, Romania actively contributed to shaping an ambitious international open government agenda. Domestically, based on the provisions of the laws on access to public information and on decisional transparency in public administration, the government has implemented far-reaching reforms, including the creation of online platforms, such as the Unique Register of Transparency of Interests (RUTI), the Catalogue of Non-Governmental Organizations for Evidence, Consultation and Transparency (CONECT), and the E-Consultation Platform (e-consultare). In 2020, Romania adhered to the Recommendation of the Council on Open Government (2017) (hereafter “the Recommendation”), the first and currently only internationally recognised legal instrument on open government, demonstrating the country’s commitment to the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability, and stakeholder participation.

Seeking to develop its first comprehensive Open Government Strategy, the government of Romania asked the OECD to identify the strengths and opportunities for improvement of its current efforts to promote open government. Using the Recommendation as a normative framework for evaluation and assessment, the OECD Open Government Review of Romania takes stock of past reform efforts, analyses progress made and remaining challenges, and suggests a path for Romania to successfully design, implement, monitor and evaluate a holistic and integrated policy agenda for open government. The Review is peer-driven and is based on over 25 interviews with governmental and non-public stakeholders; data collected through five questionnaires answered by the national government, non-public stakeholders and subnational governments; and extensive desk research conducted by the OECD Secretariat.

The Review finds that the recent adoption of Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) within Next Generation EU and the ongoing Accession process to the OECD provide a unique window of opportunity to design and implement a more holistic open government agenda. Taken together, the RRP and the OECD Accession process could be a means for additional and more meaningful collaboration with citizens and stakeholders, which can ultimately increase citizens’ trust in government and reinforce democracy. Accordingly, the Review includes key actions for the country to consider in the short, medium, and long-term to take full advantage of the current momentum to strengthen the enabling environment for open government and implement more impactful reforms.

The Review was funded by the EEA/Norway grants and is part of the OECD’s wider engagement with Romania to improve public governance. It should be read in conjunction with the OECD Civic Space Scan of Romania, as well as other ongoing OECD policy reviews in Romania, including the OECD Evaluation of the Romanian National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2016-2020, the OECD Digital Government Review, and the OECD Innovative Capacity Scan of Romania. Over the course of 2023, the OECD will support Romania in the implementation of the recommendations presented in this Review, thanks also to the support provided by the EEA/Norway grants.

The report was reviewed by the Working Party on Open Government on 18 May 2023. It was approved by the Public Governance Committee on 19 June 2023 and prepared for publication by the OECD Secretariat.