Conference “Transparency and Citizen Participation (VI)” M, April 5, 2016

Conference "Transparency and Citizen Participation (VI)" M, April 5, 2016

LíneaCiudadana® participates in the days of transparency and citizen participation, where it presents its solution and success cases.

On 5 April 2016, a seminar on Transparency and Citizen Participation organized by the Socinfo Foundation and sponsored by Saga Soluciones Tecnológicas, VASS and LíneaCiudadana® was held at the National Institute of Public Administration.

A total of 108 registered participants at the event, which began at 9:00 am with the distribution of credentials, followed by a welcome act in which Mr. José García Méndez, director of the magazine Sociedad de la Ciencia Information.

The event was divided into 4 tables formed by the different speakers representing different political groups, governments, ministries and municipalities.

Mrs. Esther Arizmendi, President of the Transparency and Good Governance Council was in charge of inaugurating the turn of papers. "The interest of the citizens, their questions and their proposals, make transparency and participation meaningful," said Arizmendi. The President stressed that for "citizen demand" to become possible "citizens should participate more and the administration facilitate better access for all."

Already at the first table, Mrs. Pilar Cortés Bureta, Deputy of the Popular GP in Congress, pointed out that "Citizens not only want to be informed, they want to participate in matters of general interest" but "do not find the opportunity or tool to do so." This table would also be made up of Mr Jokin Bildarratz (Basque Group Speaker (EAJ-PNV) in the Senate), Mr Javier Hernández Díez (Ministry of Finance and Public Administration) and Ms. María Victoria Figueroa Domínguez (Ministry of Presidency).

The second panel consisted of Ms. Koldobike Uriarte Ruiz-Eguino (Responsible for the Transparency and Good Governance project, Basque Government), Mr. Elías Escanero (Adviser of the General Directorate of Citizen Participation, Transparency, Cooperation and External Action, Government of Aragon) And D. Jesús Poveda Jordán de VASS.

In the third table, Mr. Ricard Martínez Martínez (Chief of the Trasparencia Service, Diputación de Valencia) spoke. Victoria Anderica Caffarena (Director of the Transparency Project of the City of Madrid) said that "the city will be what the citizens want" D. Antonio Bonilla (responsible for the expansion of LíneaCiudadana®) expressed support for the words of Victoria and Esther Arizmendi, showing that precisely LíneaCiudadana® was born for that, to respond to one of the main demands of citizenship, Participation. The table was closed after the turn of Mr. Manuel Lara Cantizani (Delegate Councilor for Innovation and Local Development of the City of Lucena). Manuel explained the long commitment of his municipal corporation to bring the city council closer to the citizens and as the mobile platform LíneaCiudadana®, had helped manage the proposals and incidents of his municipality that already exceeded the 136 incidents that resulted in the last year.

And to conclude the fourth round table which was presented by Natalia Prieto Viso (Director General of Evaluation and Administrative Reform, Ministry of Presidency, Public Administration and Justice, Xunta de Galicia), Mr. Teófilo Gonzáles González (General Director of Transparency and Participation Miguel Gallardo Esgleas (General Director of Participation and Transparency, Ministry of Participation, Transparency and Culture, Government of the Balearic Islands) and Ms. Zulima Pérez Seguí (Regional Secretary for Public Administration and Transparency, Government of the Canary Islands). Transparency, Social Responsibility, Participation and Cooperation, Ministry of Transparency, Social Responsibility, Participation and Cooperation, Generalitat Valenciana).

As a conclusion of the act we could say that all the speakers agreed on the need to enhance participation and dialogue with citizens as the best and only tool of a responsible, participatory and transparent style of government.