Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt

Context and proposal:

Since last municipal elections in May 2015, the relationship with institutional power has changed at the level of the Spanish state in many municipalities. Many progressive groups and citizen political platforms have gained representation in municipal councils, creating a new situation full of opportunities and challenges.

This new political landscape has led to numerous city and town councils to pick up on the initiative of citizen audits, worked on from the social movements over recent years, and put forward proposals to begin citizen audits of debt and public debt management, considering questions such as the non-prioritisation of repayment or even non-payment in the case of illegitimate debt. Other issues such as transparency, the right to information, accountability, citizen analysis and evaluation of public management and the return of services to public hands (among others) have become key policy issues for many councils.

That said, the challenge is in having the necessary tools to convert these demands into proposals, processes and specific public policies that also involve citizen participation. It is for this reason that this event is being organised, so that social demands can be turned into real, specific policies.

Dubbed #AuditFest; this is a meeting on citizen auditing of public debt and public debt management, in which actors can share Share A unit of ownership interest in a corporation or financial asset, representing one part of the total capital stock. Its owner (a shareholder) is entitled to receive an equal distribution of any profits distributed (a dividend) and to attend shareholder meetings. experiences, doubts, proposals, methodologies and tools so that better municipal public policies, by and for the citizens, can become a reality.

#AuditFest will take place the 14^th and 15^th of October 2016 in La Nave Bostik, Barcelona. These two days (Friday and Saturday) will be dedicated to workshops and debate spaces suitable for exchange and collaboration, as well as more open spaces (plenary) and an informal space for meeting, getting to know each other and networking.

PROGRAMME:

FRIDAY 14^th October

09:30 Welcome and sign up

10:00 Why a municipal citizen audit?
– PACD Barcelona, Jeza Goudinoff

10:30 International experiences of citizen debt audits
– PACD Barcelona / Ekona, Iolanda Fresnillo
– ACiDe, Plateforme d’audit citoyen de la dette publique en Belgique – Jérémie Cravatte
– DRUK, Debt Resistance UK – Fanny Malinen

12:00 Coffee Break

12:30 Workshop on tools and methodologies: Auditing manual presentation

– Yago Álvarez, PACD Madrid
– Itziar Gimenez, PACD Barcelona

14:00 Lunch break

15:30 Plenary : Experiences and methodological proposals for citizen debt audits, spending and public management
Experiences in municipalities:
– Debt audit and public management in Madrid City Council – UCM/Ay Madrid – Bibiana Medialdea
– Citizen Audit – Madrid Audita Madrid (Madrid audits Madrid) – PACD Madrid
– Citizen Debt Audit in Moià – Neighbourhood Association of affected by Moià’s municipal debt – Dídac Rimoldi
Sectoral Experiences:
– Audit Healthcare (Madrid) – Vicente Losada
– T-Mobilitat – Stop Pujades (public transport Barcelona) – Ariadna Cotén

18:00 Concurrent Workshops

1. Citizen participation in auditing:
– Participatory budgets in Sta Cristina d’Aro – Sara Forq
– Badalona’s City Council participative experience – Fàtima Taleb, Participation Councillor & Rafa Crespo, Participation Consultant
– UOC/ALABS – Decidim.Barcelona

2. Corruption, leaks and citizen intervention – Strategies for bringing corruption cases to court:
– Xnet / 15MpaRato – Simona Levi
– Col·lectiu Ronda – Carmen Herranz, lawyer

20:00-22:00 Concerts & dinner
Concerts: Loca Tangata y HcB

SATURDAY 15^th October

10:00 Concurrent workshops on debt management & municipal finance

1. Fair municipal taxation
– Platform for Fair Taxation – Cecile Barbeito
– Sabadell City Council – Albert Boada, Councillor for New Economies and central services
– Badalona City Council – José Téllez, Councillor of Democratic Badalona (Tax office)
– Ekona – Elisa Covelo & Noel Huguet (municipal taxation with gender perspective)

2. Improvements in public procurement processes
– Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Activa – Begoña Planas
– Other speakers to be confirmed

11:45 Coffee Break

12:15 Concurrent workshops on alternative public policies:

1. Austerity and regulatory limits to municipal management in favour of majorities
– Madrid City Council – Carlos Sánchez Mato, Councillor for Economy and Finance and member of IU, Attac and PACD
– Cádiz City Council – David Navarro, Councillor for Finance and Debt & Demetrio Quiros, Advisor to the Mayor’s Cabinet
– Sevilla City Council – Julián Moreno, Councillor of Sevilla Participate and City Comptroller

2. Municipalisation and public/public-community management models for services and the commons
– Molins de Rei City Council – Josep Raventós, CUP Councillor
– Ripollet City Council – Pilar Castillejo, Decidim Ripollet Councillor
– Taula de l’aigua de Terrassa (water table) – Edurne Bagué

14:00 Lunch break

16:00 PLENARY DEBATE : Possibilities, limits and strategies for the non-payment of debt

18:30 CONFERENCE: Strategies for the future creation of a municipal front against debt and austerity
– Spanish Citizen Debt Audit Platform – Emma Avilés & Yago Álvarez
– Ripollet City Council – Pilar Castillejo, Decidim Ripollet Councillor
– Oviedo City Council – Rubén Rosón, Councillor of Economy & David Acera, political coordinator of the municipal group Somos Oviedo
– La Hidra / Fundación de los Comunes (The Commons Foundation) – Nuria Alabao

20:30 Networking, dinner and music
Dj EconoCabreado y Dj Javi Dalton (until 00:00)