JUSTIFICATION
Town councils have been the birthplace of the citizens’ democratic education in the process that Spain has undergone since the late 70s and early 80s. This learning has taken place here as they are the closest Administration to the citizens and have also made available to them all those aspects that other administrations haven’t been able to undertake, due to, among other reasons, their distance from the people they serve. The transfer of powers to the Autonomous Communities has been given as normal in recent years and, at the same time, the town councils have been assuming powers as their own that have never been officially transferred to them; which in political language have become called “competencias impropias” (unowned powers). In the same way, the Autonomous Communities have delegated, via allocated funds, many of the services that should be provided by the town councils. The important aspect of all this is that citizens have exponentially multiplied their procedures with the town councils.
These procedures could not have been carried out if TIC hadn’t been incorporated, cautiously at first, and with more impetus later. They have definitely greatly sped up the work, although it can’t be denied that there is still a lot to do. If an inventory had to be made of the possibilities offered by the application of new technologies to local administration it would be as extensive as the services currently provided by the town councils. It would, therefore, need to be produced by subject, afterwards looking at the possible comprehensive applications and the way in which citizens could not only benefit from, but also become involved in, the process.
A town council administers in three ways:
A) Internally. Fluid communication between the various departments is essential, with the route of a document from its delivery by a citizen until he/she is given the response being known at all times.
B) Relations with other administrations. A town council receives a huge number of documents from other administrations and official organisations that usually need a response within an established period of time.
C) Relations with citizens in two respects:
a. Issue of documents and requests on demand: Citizens request documents and make requests to many municipal services, which means internal coordination must exist to give a quick and effective response.
b. Technological involvement of citizens: Getting them used to using technologies to communicate with their town council and offering them a better understanding of how this administration operates, making it closer and more accessible.
Since 2006 Extremadura’s Technological Literacy and Free Software Plan (PAT) has been including within its dissemination activities the promotion of electronic administration, both among citizens and the Administrations, through innovative actions that have involved a constant drive towards raising public awareness and the use of telematic channels independent of the territorial area. An initiative that remains in effect today within the 2009 strategic lines of PAT:
Extremadura Online, which aims to keep demonstrating the benefits of e-administration in all its aspects.
AIMS
● Raise public awareness of the use of electronic administration in all fields of the Administration.
● Promote the provision of more and better online services to all local entities, creating, as a result, active citizen participation.
● Promote the use of online services in the Local Administration, educating both the Administration and citizens in their use.
● Promote practices that implement the use of electronic administration within the population, using the tools of telematic services.
● Promote the use of free software.
WORKSHOP CONTENTS
Given the experience of PAT a guided multimedia presentation would be produced, starting from the first pilot experiences in 2006 that consolidated PAT’s position as a point of reference in e-administration in 2009. It would be organised as follows:
● Global concept of e-administration. Are we prepared as regards the Law 11/2007 of electronic access? Reflections.
● The e-administration scene in Spain and Extremadura. Advances and predictions.
● Presentation of the project DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP (2006)
http://www.nccextremadura.org/eventos2006/ciudadaniadigital
-Experiences in electronic voting.
-Sending of mass SMS messages from the Town Councils.
-Videoconferences with experts on electronic administration.
● Presentation of the project SIENTA-T (2007)
http://www.nccextremadura.org/eventos2007/sienta- t
-Rebroadcasting by video streaming of municipal plenary meetings.
-Experiences in electronic voting.
-Chats and workshops on raising public awareness of e-administration.
-Technological literacy for local corporations.
-Series of free radio on the Internet and videoconferences on subjects related with telematic administration.
● Presentation of the project EXTREMADURA ONLINE (2008-2009)
http://www.nccextremadura.org/eventos2008/extonline
- Campaigns to raise public awareness of e-administration
- Series of videoconferences on e-administration
-E-referendum
-Free radio via the Internet.
● Practice in E-Administration (what is learnt in a New Centre of Knowledge?).
- Basic concepts of digital certificates and DNIe (electronic national identity number). Obtaining and downloading them.
- Process of importing to and exporting from the Digital Certificates browser. Digital signatures.
- Digital identification (national): AEAT (Spanish Tax Administration Agency), Social Security, Land Registry. Procedures shown: tax information consultation, obtaining your employment history, real estate certificate.
- Digital identification II (regional). E-administration portal of the Regional Government of Extremadura. Procedures shown: fishing and hunting licences.
- Digital identification III (local). Pages of town councils with citizen portals where telematic procedures can be carried out. Procedures shown: registration certificate application.
- Digital identification IV. Online banking, mobile phone services, electronic bills.
Thursday, 12th of november, 16h30 – 18h00
