Lisbon Chamber to put forward strategic plan for transparency and fight against corruption – Observer
The Chamber of Lisbon will proceed with the preparation of a strategic plan for transparency and the fight against corruption, starting with the presentation of a specification “in two months”, announced councilwoman Joana Almeida.
“The idea is fundamental for two months of the year to define a specification for what we want the strategic plan to be, in order to be able to assign it to a team that perfects this strategic plan for transparency and fighting corruption”, said the councilor with the responsible for Transparency and Fight against Corruption in the Lisbon City Council, Joana Almeida (independent elected by the coalition “Novos Tempos”, PSD / CDS-PP / MPT / PPM / Aliança).
The announcement was made at a hearing, via videoconference, at the 6th Standing Committee of the Municipal Assembly of Lisbon, which has an area for Transparency and Fight against Corruption, carried out at the request of the councilor, with the aim of introducing herself and meeting the deputies therefore requested contributions in the work of elaborating the strategy.
The Transparency and Fight against Corruption portfolio was created by the current municipal executive, chaired by Carlos Moedas (PSD), and assigned to councilwoman Joana Almeida, who is also competent in the area of Urban Planning.
“It makes perfect sense, not only is Transparency and the Fight against Corruption obviously linked to Urbanism, but not only that, all purchases, contracts, is an area that cuts across the entire dynamics of the chamber”, said the mayor.
Addressing the municipal deputies, Joana Almeida said that “There is a lot of work to be done” in the area of Transparency and Fight against Corruption, a position that deserved consensus among the different policies of the Municipal Assembly, which expressed their willingness to collaborate with the executive.
“In this specific area, in terms of budget, it was planned, to advance in the short term, the preparation of a strategic plan for transparency and the fight against corruption in the City Council of Lisbon”, said the councilor, explaining that it is planned the presentation of the specifications “in two months” and the conclusion of the strategic plan “still this year”.
The strategic plan should read “a three-year action plan“With the definition of what is a priority to do, as well as what the work team should be, its competences and its organic framework for the chamber, the mayor added, elaborating that it is necessary to develop new platforms, including a whistleblower channel following the transposition of a European directive in which city councils are required to have this instrument.
One of the challenges is to guarantee “a transparency that is at the same time compatible with the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD)”, pointed.
For the PS deputy, Hugo Gaspar, the presentation of the executive’s ideas and the availability to receive contributions “is a good sign” for the work that can be done together in the area of Transparency and Fight against Corruption.
The socialist defended that it is necessary “avoid the temptation to transform part of what is the work at the level of transparency and corruption into some exercise in political chicanery and of some temptations that are heard here and there, “in the sense of” to justice what belongs to justice, to politics what belongs to politics”.
From the PSD, Ana Mateus considers “of particular importance to improve institutional practices in matters of transparency and corruption”, including facilitating and improving the quality of information on the chamber’s platforms and creating a complaints channel with a response service.
Social Democrat Ricardo Mexia also added the need to involve citizens in the process, as well as Parish Councils, because “transparency without participation ends up being an initiative that falls short of what would be desirable”.
The CDS-PP deputy Isabel Galriça Neto supports the concern with transparency issues: “Obviously, reasons for us to know how much it is necessary to guarantee transparency and that episodes of memory will not be repeated”.
The centrist also said that the strategic plan should be “objective“AND”realist“For later“ not to have the frustration of not meeting goals”.
Asked by deputy Bruno Garcia, from Chega, if any audit was requested on the previous term, “taking into account a set of situations that can be compared to councilor Manuel Salgado”, councilor Joana Almeida replied: “the new executive still does not take a decision in relation to audiences that it intends to make”.