This document summarizes the state of open data and transparency for EU structural and investment funds from 2007-2013 and the new requirements for 2014-2020. It discusses how transparency has increased over time, with machine-readable open data now required along with standardized fields like project name, beneficiary, location and finances. A survey found most countries now have centralized websites but quality and details vary, with constraints including IT systems and privacy laws. The document advocates using open fund data for civic monitoring, research, data journalism and other reuses to improve transparency and accountability.

1. Openness and transparency of data in EU
Structural and Investment Funds – an
overview
Carlo Amati, Simona De Luca, Chiara A. Ricci
Department for Cohesion Policy
15th INFORM network meeting
Lille, 23th June 2015

2. Open Data on public funds
Availability of information and Open Data (machine-readable)
on projects funded by public resources helps in:
• fostering transparency in the use of funds
• improving decision making and policy design
• encouraging the creation of new tools and services for
citizens
• increasing involvement of stakeholders in ensuring
efficient and effective use of funds
Where are we now?

3. Eu rules on transparency & Open Data
2007-2013, Art. 7 Reg. 1828/2006 – Three mandatory fields for online
publication: name of the project, name of the beneficiary, total value of the
project  Hundreds of Managing Authorities are free to decide how much
information is to be published and the format of the downloadable datasets
European Transparency Initiative (2008) – Suggestion of some useful
details to be published: public payments to beneficiaries at the end of the
project, final year of payment, date of last update  Guidance Note 23th April
2008
2014-2020, Art. 115 Regulation EU 1303/2005- Machine-readable Format
(CSV, XML),Single Website Portal, User Licence, mandatory fields for online
publication (headings & name of the projects to be provided in at least one
other official EU language):
- name of the project, name of the beneficiary, total value of the project (as in
2007-2013)
- summary of the project, start date, end date, EU eligible expenditure,
postcode of the location of the project, country, category of intervention of
the project, date of last update (newly introduced).

4. Inforegio
June 2015
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/projects/map/index_en.cfm
Openness and transparency: a priority in Europe

5. Recovery.gov
opencoesione.gov.it
The investigation on Transparency on Structural Funds’
Beneficiaries in Europe
Ascertain the presence or absence of
specific quality features of the
beneficiaries’list published on line (62
variables in 2013 and 2014)
Explore the “back office” aspects concerning:
a) The storing and managing of the data for
publication on National portals or on managing
Authorities’ websites
b) the publication of the data and the civic
engagement activities being carried out.

6. Recovery.gov
opencoesione.gov.it
Countries with centralised portals (ERDF & ESF) on Structural
Funds projects
2010 2014 (considering OpenCoesione)

7. Recovery.gov
opencoesione.gov.it
Transparency on Cohesion Funds: the web based survey
Indices of openness and transparency of lists of beneficiaries of EU Structural Funds 2007-2013
6 different scores to each Operational Programme, one for each key aspect
of data publication. The scores are based on the availability of selected key
characteristics of the data, such as format, completeness of information,
availability of tools to browse effectively through the data, and so on.

8. Recovery.gov
opencoesione.gov.it
EU27 2007-2013 OPs average level of compliance with the requirements set by the 2007-2013
COCOF and 2014-2020 Regulation
year 2014

9. 2014
Machine-readable format?
PO ERDF 2007-2013

10. Quality Search masks
Financial Data Contents

11. “Open Data & EU Structural and Investment Funds”: questionnaire to the unit in charge
of data publication
Process of data publication
Fully automated process: the integrated system handles the entire process from data
retrieving to publication on the web; no manual input is required.
57,5%
Semi-automated process with just one intermediate step: the monitoring system on
operations and beneficiaries of OPs yields one or more tables that have to be imported
in the publication system / web application
24,8%
Semi-automated process with more than one intermediate step 9,7%
Manual 8,0%
Which are the constraints to publish data
with higher quality and detail on the
projects and beneficiaries?
[Specify the importance of the following
constraints from 1 (not important) to 5
(very important)]
Mean

12. “Open Data & EU Structural and Investment Funds”: questionnaire to the unit in charge
of data publication
How do plan to manage the transition to
the 2014-2020 period regarding data
publication of operations and
beneficiaries of OPs?
Are you encouraging the feedback from
beneficiaries and stakeholders on the
progress and effectiveness of financed
projects? (e.g. comments, suggestions,
photos, videos, etc.)

13. Analysis / evaluation / research
Participation / “civic monitoring”
- “Macro” effects
- Categorizations / typologies
- Total values of cohesion policies
Datajournalism
- “Micro” effects/ single project
- Geo-localization
- “Wiki” tools and “crowdsourcing”
What to do with the open data? From transparency to re-use

14. Re-use experiences
• Ifel
• Bank of Italy
• LUISS
• ----

15. Thank you for your attention!
www.opencoesione.gov.it
opencoesione@dps.gov.it