1. Nikolaos Loutas, PwC Belgium
Connecting open data for solving the fiscal
transparency puzzle in the EU
Data & Analytics

2. Achieving Open Data objectives is more complex than expected
Create value for the
user community
It’s about quality
…not quantity
Fundamental
drivers of open data
▪ Transparent administration
▪ New business models

3. Open data for
transparency
State of play 2016
3Source:
https://opendatabarometer.org/4thedition/report/#open_data_trends

4. Looking into the case of EU fiscal data, including the EU Budget
and the Financial Transparency System

5. It’s much more than putting the data online
Understand-
ability
Terminology and
structure are difficult
to understand.
Understanding how
the data has been
created.
Scattered
information
EU Budget, MFF,
FTS, etc. The pieces
need to be connected.
Low usability
& interoper-
ability
Data is not
interpreted in the
same way, e.g. FTS
data is not exactly
spending data.
Data is not in the
right format, has no
licence, or is not
machine-readable.
Meeting users
needs &
expectations
in terms of access,
format, focus,
granularity, etc.
Answering the
burning questions,
and presenting data
in the right way.
Quality
Data is of uncertain
quality, timeliness or
provenance.
The users cannot trust it.
In cases such as the EU
Budget, there’s no room
for mistakes, because of
political implications.

6. Connecting data and telling stories around it
Harmonised
vocabularies
and codelists
Dissemination
vocabularies & data
dictionaries, e.g. for
the MFF, that help
express the meaning
of the data and is
made openly
available, and is
implemented in the
data production
systems.
Linked
datasets
... connecting data
from different
sources to build a
complete picture, in
this case EU Budget,
spending, FTS,
company registers…
Data as a
service
Allow users to query
and retrieve the right
data at the right time
in the right format,
ideally from one
point of access.
Story telling
Engaging the users
not only for making
sure that the right
data is available, but
also for identifying
the right questions
and creating stories
from the data
Manage the
data lifecycle
Putting once the data
online is not
enough…make sure that
your data is kept fresh,
and continuously
improved.

7. Who receives the
money of the
EU Budget?
“
7
In which countries
are recipients
located?
“
Example
Linking EU Budget & Spending

8. Who receives the
money of
Horizon 2020?
“
8
Under which
contracts and
EU budget lines?
“
Example
Linking EU Budget & Spending

9. Thank you!
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this report are purely those of the authors and may not, in any circumstances, be interpreted as stating an official position of the European Commission. The European Commission
does not guarantee the accuracy of the information included in this study, nor does it accept any responsibility for any use thereof. Reference herein to any specific products, specifications, process, or
service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by the European Commission.
All care has been taken by the author to ensure that s/he has obtained, where necessary, permission to use any parts of manuscripts including illustrations, maps, and graphs, on which intellectual
property rights already exist from the titular holder(s) of such rights or from her/his or their legal representative.
This work has been funded under the ISA and ISA² Programmes of the European Commission.
https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/solution/eu-budget-vocabulary