The Algarve may have, by the end of the year, 40 Citizen's Spaces, places where citizens can access State services that are already available online, benefiting from face-to-face assistance and help from staff trained for that purpose.
The Government challenged CTT and, mainly, municipalities to be local partners in this project, in the implementation of these services. The local authorities, according to AMAL president Jorge Botelho, are willing “to do everything to make life easier for citizens”, provided that “this does not imply the closing of more services in the Algarve”.
Secretary of State for Administrative Modernization Joaquim da Costa assured the Sul Informação that is not the Government's intention and points out this service as "a complement" to the ones that already exist. But he admits that the executive he is a part of aspires to "a rationalization of resources" in the public administration, although he points out, as a path, the concentration of supply. In this sense, he pointed out as a goal “to have a Citizen's Shop in almost all municipalities”.
Espaço do Cidadão takes the image from its “mother”, the Citizen's Shop, but it is based on a very different concept. In this new service, there will be no branches of different entities or employees designated by them.
The base will be what the member of the Government calls “Assisted Digital Service”, a new concept that “combines the digital service, which is on the computer, with the in-person service, with a specific employee”. Basically, the citizen goes to the place and will get help from an official to solve their problem through an online platform.
The services available are exactly the same as those available to any citizen from a computer with Internet access. The Citizen's Space will serve "all those who don't know, can't or don't want to use them." "What is needed is to create for these people locals close to the places where they live or work, where there are concrete people, with adequate training, providing the service to which they have every right," he said.
Joaquim da Costa also highlighted the “positive discrimination logic” for low-density areas, with regard to the territorial distribution of Citizen's Spaces. In other words, the interior areas will be privileged in order to “dissolve asymmetries”.
Municipalities of the Algarve accept challenge if they do not close more services
«Algarvian municipalities have various concepts and opinions regarding Citizen's Spaces. But, anything to simplify life for citizens and bring them closer to decentralized services is welcome», considered the president of AMAL – Algarve Intermunicipal Community, in statements to Sul Informação.
According to the president of the entity that brings together the 16 Algarve municipalities, he says that the municipalities "are available for this idea" and all subscribe to it. “But, obviously, we have some fear, which is obvious and no one categorically denies it. What we see is that there is a set of regional services that have been closing, either in the area of health, or in the areas of education, courts and Social Security», he said.
«These Citizens' Spaces cannot serve to dismantle regional services, because we believe that decentralized, proximity services are a way of bringing citizens closer to entities. It is also important that the Algarve has staff, because this is also critical information and knowledge», considered the AMAL president.
Jorge Botelho says that the Algarve's mayors defend "a power present in the regions", despite applauding administrative modernization.
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