In 2016, Openbudgets.eu will reach its first major milestone: the launch of the OpenBudgets.eu platform prototype in October.

On the first days of December, OpenBudgets.eu organized a workshop for stakeholders and practitioners from the field of fiscal policy in Berlin. In this article, we want to share some of the results and outcomes of the workshop, which brought together a variety of diverse actors working with budget data in their corresponding profession. Among the participants were representatives of advocacy- and anti-corruption organisations, civil society organisations, members of different levels of the administrations, investigative journalists, budget experts, and other experts from the field of fiscal transparency.

The first OpenBudgets Press Release is out. View it here (English), or in Greek, French, Spanish, Portugese / Brazil. Receive the press releases directly: subscribe to our Press List and Newsletter.

During the Open Budgets Plenary Meeting on the 30th of November and 1st of December, the consortium partners will meet in Berlin to review the progress made since the start of the project. The strategy for the coming months will be discussed in a series of group sessions and workshops aimed at finding solutions for the challenges encountered.

On the 30th of November and the 1st of December, Open Knowledge International and Open Knowledge Germany are organizing a workshop to address the question: “How might Open Data Contribute to the Democratization of Fiscal Policy?” in Berlin. The workshop is part of the ongoing work for the OpenBudgets.eu project.

Deliverable 1.2 with the title ‘Design of data structure definition for public budget data’ has been published and is available here (910KB).

“To meet the world’s most pressing challenges – including ending poverty and addressing climate change – will require the wise investment of public resources. National budgets that are accountable, efficient, and effective are crucial.”

“Digital technologies have the potential to transform the way that information about public money is organised, circulated and utilised in society, which in turn could shape the character of public debate, democratic engagement, governmental accountability and public participation in decision-making about public funds. Data could play a vital role in tackling the democratic deficit in fiscal policy and in supporting better outcomes for citizens.”

Deliverable 1.6, a ‘Survey of code lists for the data model’s coded dimensions’ has been published and is available to download here (2,1MB).

The kick-off meeting of the OpenBudgets.eu project happened in the 29th and 30th June, at the castle of Frauhofer Institute, in Sankt Augustin, Germany. Project partners from seven European countries were present to the first official meeting, where the main concepts were discussed and the consortium partners had a chance to meet one another in person.