On December 16, BIRN Montenegro hosted the launch of the Montenegrin Government Open Data Portal, followed by a panel discussion on open data in Podgorica.

The event, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Administration, emphasized openness and transparency as essential principles for modern public administration, aimed at fostering citizen trust and effective governance.

Minister of Public Administration Marash Dukaj referred to the new open data portal as a “central point for accessing public-sector data in an open format,” and urged all state institutions to proactively publish datasets on the portal. The previous open data portal, launched in 2018, was rendered inoperative after a cyberattack on Montenegro’s IT infrastructure in August 2022.

Following BIRN Montenegro’s highlighting of the lack of open data through the regional report and event held in Podgorica on September 27, supported by the OSFWB, the Ministry committed it will launch a new portal by December. The revamped portal features nearly 400 datasets, organized by specific categories.

During the launch, Secretary General of Parliament, Aleksandar Klarić, announced that all parliamentary data would now be available in a user-friendly format, allowing citizens to visualize and compare the information, pending development of its own Open Data Parliamentary Portal.

Open data refers to public-sector information that is freely accessible online for use and reuse by anyone. This initiative aims to enhance transparency in public administration, reduce the number of requests for free access to information, and increase the quantity and quality of information published by government institutions.

The event was attended by over 60 high-profile participants including representatives of the government, members of the parliament, officials from independent institutions, diplomatic corps, civil society and media. The event has achieved heavy media coverage.