It joins the global network of governments committed to transparency, innovation, and public data openness in line with international standards

The Government of the Balearic Islands has signed the International Open Data Charter, officially joining the global network of governments dedicated to transparency, innovation, and the opening of public data in accordance with international standards.

Xisco Cánovas, Director General of Digital Strategy and Technological Development, emphasized that this step reflects the Balearic Government’s strong commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in public data management. “The Open Data Charter is a framework that will allow us to continue implementing open data policies, adopt best practices and international standards in data management, and strengthen our commitment to public information openness and reuse,” he explained.

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The Balearic Government Joins the International Open Data Charter

Adhering to the Open Data Charter will enhance governmental transparency with the aim of fostering trust between citizens and the administration. It also promotes social and economic innovation by enabling the creation of new products, services, and solutions. Furthermore, it improves internal efficiency by facilitating data sharing between departments, identifying redundancies, and enabling more informed, data-driven decisions. Additionally, it encourages public-public collaboration through data exchange with other administrations to optimize resources and cooperation.

To advance the principle of “open by default,” the Government has implemented several measures:

• Approval of the 2019–2024 open data strategy, with strict monitoring of its objectives through a control panel.
• Creation and regulation of interdepartmental technical commissions to ensure effective data openness and transparency.
• Launch of technological tools (ETL) for data extraction, transformation, and publication while complying with personal data protection regulations.
• Update of the Government’s technical application development standards, including the requirement for REST API interfaces to facilitate data reuse and openness.
• Implementation of control processes to ensure that new applications automatically allow data openness.

Among the identified challenges, Cánovas highlighted “the difficulty of balancing openness with privacy, the need for adequate technical infrastructure, and the lack of specialized resources and staff training,” among other issues.

He also stressed the importance of maximizing automation in data openness through automated query services (REST APIs) and avoiding isolated systems that hinder interoperability.

Looking ahead, the Government aims to prioritize the creation of a comprehensive public data inventory, the provision of information systems with REST services for automatic queries, the definition of a robust data governance structure, and the opening of high-value datasets as established by EU Directive 2019/1024 of the European Parliament, in order to maximize social, environmental, and economic benefits.

“With this commitment, the Balearic Islands reinforce their dedication to transparency and digital innovation, aligning with international best practices to promote a more open, efficient, and citizen-focused administration,” Cánovas concluded.