BackI.O.I. Europe organises a topical workshop on “The defense of rights and good practices in private management of public services - The role of the Ombudsman” on 21 and 22 November 2011 in Barcelona. The event for I.O.I. member institutions is hosted by the European Regional Vice-President and Catalan Ombudsman Rafael Ribó and supported by the Cercle d’Economia (Association for Economic Analysis) The I.O.I. is pleased to co-finance the event within the framework of its regional subventions scheme.
Content of the Workshop
The evolution of our society has led to an enhancement of the rights of consumers and users, especially those referred to the management of services considered to be basic or essential for people’s daily life. An important part of these basic or essential services has evolved from its primary configuration as public services reserved for public administration to its current setup, in which are rendered by private companies under the regulation of free market. The liberalization of the management of activities considered to be essential can not diminish the rights or guaranties of consumers.
This process of liberalization and privatization of public services and activities means that the Administration is not the only entity to have public service duties, as certain economic private sectors have also these duties because of the activity they carry out. Avishai Margalit refers to civilized society and decent society. A civilized society is one whose citizens do no humiliate one another. A decent society is one whose institutions do no humiliate the citizens. The goal of a decent society, the one not humiliating citizens, is an essential part of our discussion.
In this new framework, the activities in private sectors that entail public service duties shall be monitored directly by the ombudsman, although it should be considered if the tools thought to oversee public administration could be used to monitor the private sector, in which the use of the same tools could entail interferences in the exercise of certain fundamental rights.
Registration
I.O.I. Europe is pleased to offer this workshop to I.O.I. member institutions in good standing free of charge but draws attention to the fact that the number of participants is limited.
Registration should be made by e-mail to ioieurope@sindic.cat or by telephone to + 34 933 018 075. For further information, you may use the same contact details.
