Only a week after Hungary presented its OGP action plan in London, MPs of the governing Fidesz party initiated the amendment of the Freedom Of Information (FOI) act watering down existing legislation by limiting access to data of public interest for only two government oversight bodies, the State Audit Office (ÁSZ) and the Government Control
Photo credit: Whole Earth by NASA on The Commons via Flickr This week, hundreds of open data enthusiasts descended upon Washington DC as the World Bank Open Data Initiative and the Open Development Technology Alliance came together to host the second International Open Government Data Conference (IOGDC). Over 400 people from more than 40 countries
One of the outcomes of Brasilia will be for the OGP plenary to endorse the steering committee-drafted governance policy for OGP, which includes a framework for how OGP governments and OGP NGOs nominate steering committee candidates from their respective caucuses. The early politicking around this should be fascinating, and I’m disappointed I won’t be there to watch it in person!
Big expectations are over the shoulders of transparency; governments expect public sector efficiency and growth, civil society expects accountability and participation in the policy process, companies and entrepreneurs expect new business opportunities, and democracy more generally expects that with transparency we will all be better off.
Soros Foundation Romania has been involved in the drafting of the action plan for Romania since December 2011, organizing the first meeting on the subject.