The professor of Administrative Law at the Carlos III University of Madrid, Tomás de la Quadra-Salcedo, inaugurated the 18th Electronic Signature Conference on 13.00 November at 11 pm. The former Minister of Territorial Administration and Justice reflected on the right of citizens to access public services electronically. A right recognized by Law 2007/2010, which enters into force in January XNUMX.
Tomás de la Quadra-Salcedo stressed the importance of recognizing the right of citizens to access public services by electronic means as 'the first stone' towards an e-Government that allows the daily consultation of citizens on any issue that worries. Ease of access that will lead to a more transparent administration and a better knowledge of society. Tomás de la Quadra-Salcedo stressed that the electronic access of citizens goes beyond 'technical issues', as the ultimate goal is to reach higher levels of democracy.
The citizen's right to consult an Administration available 24 hours a day, seven days a week is, according to the professor, a 'commitment to the subjective'. A 'transcendental' change with respect to the previous situation that involves putting the exercise of access to public services in the hands of the citizen. One of the key points of the Law is the right of the citizen not to provide documents that are already in the possession of the Administration, which obliges the different administrations to share documents.
De la Quadra-Salcedo argued that from January 2010, 11, when Law 2007/XNUMX enters into force, the Administration will have to be constantly updated to meet the continuing demand of citizens. The 'information added' to electronically managed procedures and documents will also make it easier for the Administration to provide, in a more agile way, data such as the number of works completed or the number of crimes committed.
In this way, the former minister stated that in order to access public services electronically, a climate of trust and security must be generated that makes citizens opt for electronic means as a way to interact with the public administration. To do so, they must have a recognized electronic signature provided by the different registration entities such as the Catalan Certification Agency - CATCert. According to Tomás de la Quadra-Salcedo, the use of the electronic signature will be 'much more demanding' than the use of conventional media, as the law provides for advanced techniques in identification and authenticity of data.
