The document summarizes data from questionnaires received from 27 country parliaments on best practices regarding parliamentary websites. It discusses trends towards increased mobility and accessibility of parliamentary information on mobile devices. It also covers efforts towards greater transparency through initiatives like live streaming of proceedings, open data practices, and social media use. Open parliament principles discussed include using open formats like XML and linked open data to make parliamentary records freely available and reusable by third parties.

1. Questionnaire for the ECPRD
Seminar 'Parliaments on the Net X'.
Mobility, Transparency and open
PARLIAMENTS ON THE NET X parliament: best practices in
Parliamentary web sites
#ParlNet2012
Madrid Miguel Ángel Gonzalo (Webmaster)
May 31st– June 1st 2012

2. Agenda
1 Data from the questionnaires received
2 The mobility revolution
3 Transparency
4 Open Parliament
Agenda
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3. 1. Data from the questionnaires received
 Overview of best practices
 Qualitative responses, not quantitative
 Replies from 27 countries:
European Parliament; Andorra (Consell General); Austria (Nationalrat and Bundesrat; Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Parliamentary Assembly; Canada, Library of Parliament; Croatia, Hrvatski
Sabor; Cyprus, House of Representatives; Estonia, Riigikogu; France, Assemblee Nationale;
Germany, Bundesrat; Greece; Iceland, althingi; Italy, Camera dei Deputati; Lithuania, Seimas;
Luxembourg, Chambre des Deputes; Netherlands, Eerte Kamer der Staten Generaal;
Norway, Stortinget; Portugal, Assembleia da Republica; Romania, Camera Deputatilor;
Russia, Council of the Federation; Serbia, National Assembly; Slovenia, Drzavni Zbor;
Spain, Congress and Senate; Sweden, Riksdag; Switzerland, Assemblee Federale;
Ukraine, Rada.
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4. 1. The mobility revolution
Mps in several parliaments
have received tablets or
smartphones (for
example, iphones) or is a
project in the near and
medium-term future
 Sweden, Riksdag
 Norway, Stortinget
 Spain, Congress of Deputies and Senate
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5. 1. The mobility revolution
 New services to be
provided by the
parliamentary
administration:
 Support mobile
users (laptops or/and
smartphone)
 Albania
 Spain
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6. 1. The mobility revolution
 Official website: mobile version
accessible on most of the latest mobile
phones (iOS, Android, Blackberry :
 Francia , Assemblee Nationale:
www.assemblee.mobi/
 Iceland, Althingi
 Croatia, Hrvatski Sabor: m.sabor.hr
 Italy. Camera dei Deputati: mobile.camera.it
 European Parliament: m.europarl.europa.eu
 Bosnia-Herzegovina, Parliamentary Assembly
(Interest in developing specific application for
mobile users
 Russia, Council of the Federation: project on
creation of the special version of the website for
mobile device
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7. 1. The mobility revolution
 Single web window, based
on different system and
data, enabling a uniform view
from different devices:
 W3C-WAI specification:
tablet devices are fully
supported
 Slovenia, National Assembly
 Lithuania, Seimas
 Greece
 Cyprus, House of
Representatives (under
construction) X Parliaments on the Net| Página 7

8. 1. The mobility revolution
 Develop mobile
application for
smartphones and tablet
Promote parliamentarism to the
public through allocating a
comfortable to use and
nonetheless comprenhensive
application for all users of mobile
devices
 Austria
 Spain, Congress: virtualization, links, etc.
 Spain, Senate: Application that let Senators to begin
parliamentary initiatives with digital sign
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9. 1. The mobility revolution
 App para iPhone, Ipad, etc:
 Germany, Deutscher Bundestag (Iphone and
Ipad: news, press
releases, dates, agenda, etc.)
 Italy, Camera dei Deputati. Montecitorio
(virtual visit to the building)
 Switzerland, Assemblee Federale: Swiss
Parl (news, MP’s, Committees, Agenda, etc)
 Luxembourg, Chambre des Deputes (under
construction)
 Sweden. Sveriges Riksdag):
Calendar of the activities in the Chamber, pertinent documents
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10. 2. Transparency
Web TV, Broadcast E-parliament: e-petitions
parliament; (European Contents of the website and citizen’s initiatives
Parliament; available in sign online (Austria ;
Luxembourg; Lithuania:
Italia, Netherlands; language register public legislative
Spain, Albania, Bosnia- (Austria, Parliament) initiatives, submit
Herzegovina; Ukraine, proposals)
Public consultation Detailed information
E-democracy:
section, all bills initiated about how MP’s have
interaction between the
by MP’s are subject to voted
Parliament and society
public consultation (Norway, Stortinget;
(Russia, Council of the
(Romania, Camera Switzerland, Assemblee
Federation)
Deputatilor). Federale; Spain)
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11. 2. Transparency
Main contents: agendas for Digital development in full public
Plenary and Committee view. Three goals: to create an open
meetings, Committee’s and transparent process, to secure
reports, minutes of meeting services and functionality, to increase
(Cyprus, House of opportunities for participation.
Representatives) (Sweden, Riksdag)
Improve the access to the information given on
the website (France, Assemblee Nationale); Thematic sites “Young
transparency in parliamentary procedures aiming People’s Parliament”
to electronic document distribution and central (Portugal, Assembleia da
archiving, supporting collaboration between Republica)
parliamentary employees and MP’s (Greece)
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12. 2. Transparency
Transparency and RSS channels through
oversight of public which the public can Register of
resources by disclosing get fresh information: Documents: The public
financial reports with on the plenary has direct access to the
detailed expenditure session, on the vast majority of these
(Canada; publishing the documents in their
Speaker, on MP,s
catalog with the financial electronic form.
statements of MP’s (announcements of Electronic access is free
(Greece); MP’s tax and reports on theirs and no justification is
documentation in web activities) necessary (European
site on voluntary basis , (Croatia, Hrvatski Parliament)
(Italy) Sabor)
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13. 2. Transparency
Project of public
involvement: interest group
Use of Social Networks
can register to get weekly
(Estonia, Riigikogu; Andorra, under
overview (new drafts laws)
examination)
from different committees.
(Estonia, Riigikogu)
Joint Transparency Register for
lobbyists, law firms, NGOs and think
European documents
tanks, provides citizens with a direct and
under scrutiny
single access to information about who is
(Luxembourg, Chambre des
engaged in activities aiming at
Deputes)
influencing the EU decision making
process (European Parliament)
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14. 3. Open Parliament
• Linked open data
(Semantic web
paradigm): user can
download, explore, dev
elop and use the
contents of databases
 Italy, Sweden
(Images of Linked Open Data cloud diagrams courtesy Richard Cyganiak and Anja
Jentzsch, http://lod-cloud.net/ Creative Commons BY SA license)
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15. 3. Open Parliament
• XML format: data can be used freely by people
wanting to develop their own internet services. For
example: voting, debates, structure of the
Chamber, data regarding MP’s
activity, speeches, initiatives, etc. Web services
(interface accessible for everybody)
 European
Parliament, Lithuania, Romania, Croatia, Iceland
, Sweden, Switzerland.
France, Spain, Estonia, … (in progress)
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16. 3. Open Parliament
• Open Government
 Austria (in progress). Data that could be made
available for automated analysis includes
biographies of parliamentarians, news feeds, etc.
• Social Networks, Social Media
 European Parliament, Andorra
• RSS feeds for new and decision
 European Parliament, Sweden
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17. 3. Open Parliament
• Re-use of informatión
 Canada. The text from the Chamber and
Committee proceedings, as well as the voting
records and bills, are avaliable in electronic format
for re-use in open formats.
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18. Thank you very much
miguel.gonzalo@congreso.es
webmaster@congreso.es
@miguelgonzalo
#ParlNet2012
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