This year’s Campus – the Future of Poland 2024 is in the books. The Institute of Public Finance was present in Olsztyn as a content partner of the event.
Campus – the Future of Poland is a unique event dedicated to young people actively participating in social and political life in Poland. It offers the opportunity to gain valuable and useful knowledge during meetings with experts. Moreover, it creates a safe space for open discussions and exchange of experiences among the participants.
“Let’s play open cards – Central Register of Contracts,” was one of the panels we hosted. The conversation on the importance of the Central Register of Contracts for transparency and accountability in public administration was led by Marcin Grygo, IFP junior analyst, and attended by: Radoslaw Gruca, an investigative journalist, Krzysztof Izdebski, an expert from the Stefan Batory Foundation, and Klaudia Jachira, a member of the Polish Parliament.
The Central Register of Contracts is an indispensable tool in the hands of citizens that provides greater transparency and control over public spending
– was the main conclusion of the meeting.
In the following days, a survey on the Central Register of Contracts and transparency in public finances was conducted among the young participants of the Campus together with the renowned research studio OpinionWay. In total, 62 people participated in the survey – they were interviewed online, which ensured greater flexibility and accuracy in collecting opinions. Respondents had to answer 9 closed-ended questions on the transparency of public contracts, public awareness of access to such information, and the identification of areas in public finances that need reform.
The survey revealed a number of important insights that underscore the importance of transparency in the public finance sector. Here is a detailed overview of the most important findings:
Openness of invoices, contracts entered into by public entities
The vast majority of respondents expressed the belief that access to information on public contracts should be widely available. Openness of public finances is seen as the foundation of citizens’ trust in state institutions.
As many as 97% of respondents believe that invoices, contracts concluded by public entities, ministries, offices and local governments should be open to citizens.
Availability and transparency of local contract registers
The survey found that only a small percentage of respondents have real access to detailed information on contracts concluded by public sector units, and are aware of the record kept by their local government.
As many as 61% of respondents said that the current data sharing system is non-transparent and that they do not know whether their local government maintains a register of contracts with contractors.
Benefits of introducing a Central Register of Contracts
The survey also asked about the benefits that the introduction of the Central Register could bring to Poland. The results show that respondents, following the implementation of the Central Register of Contracts, expect greater transparency (74% ) and citizen control (69% ) over public finances, as well as increased accountability in the area concerning their management (68% ).
Importance of transparency for society
Transparency in the public finance sector is a key element in building accountability and public trust. Openness of contracts and expenditures allows citizens to better understand how public funds are managed, and enables them to actively participate in control processes.
The survey is one of the tasks carried out as part of our #TAKdlaCRU project [YEStoCRC], which aims to promote openness and transparency in the activities of public institutions, emphasizing that only through full transparency can citizens’ trust be effectively built and mismanagement and corruption prevented. Openness of public finances is not just a formality, but a fundamental right of citizens that supports democratic mechanisms of control and accountability of power.
