Meeting of the Spanish Citizen Debt Audit Platform – PACD in Portugal.

25th-28th April, Lisbon (Portugal)

Spanish activists meet in Lisbon with Portuguese groups to analyse the problem of debt and how it affects democracy.

For several days, members of the Spanish Citizen Debt Audit Platform – PACDwill attend a series of events in Lisbon, starting with the celebration of the Carnation Revolution, with a public event on Saturday afternoon, and meetings with various groups the remaining days. Geographical proximity and similarities in the situation both countries are going through during the crisis, makes international coordination and exchange of experiences key for building constructive citizen initiatives.

«Democracy and Debt» is the title of the public debate to be held on April 27th at 15.00 at Largo do Carmo, Lisbon. It aims to clarify and demystify the concepts of debt and its relationship to democracy in a time when Portugal is commemorating Freedom and Democracy achieved on April 25th 1974, now threatened, as in the Spanish state and other European countries.

What do we mean when talking about debt? Are citizens the ones who have created it and have they lived beyond their means? Is cutting quality of life and rights of the most vulnerable and the working class the solution? What other solutions would be found if we thoroughly investigate public accounts and the alleged complicity between governments and private entities?

We will work on alternative answers to these questions during the debate, with interventions of PACD members (platform that brings together new social movements linked with organizations specializing in debt, member of the International Citizen Audit Network – ICAN), Manuel Martins Guerrero from the Citizen Public Debt Audit Initiative (IAC), Rui Pereira Viana from the Committee for the Abolition of Portuguese Public Debt (CADPP) and Vitor Lima, economist and author of the blog Grazia Tanta.

Interventions have a common thread that reaffirms that: 1) the debt was (and is) generated by serious deficiencies in democratic regimes and neoliberal dysfunctions in the banking and financial system, 2) the debt crisis will remain aggravated to maintain the current submission of national governments to economic and financial interests, 3) democratic institutions are responsible for the implementation of effective justice to pursue corruption and crime as well as the defence and protection of dignity and quality of life of the population, 4) the solution is awareness and mobilization of citizens and monitoring of public institutions.

The event can be followed via twitter through accounts: @ICANetwork_, @AuditCiudadana and @demoedivida (hashtag #DemocraciaeDivida). For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Lisbon: democraciaedivida@hushmail.com (Nuno, Juan)

Barcelona: auditoriabcn@gmail.com (Emma, Javier)

Links:

Democracia e Divida: http://democraciaedivida.wordpress.com/

PACD: http://auditoriaciudadana.net/

ICAN: http://www.citizen-audit.net/

IAC: http://www.auditoriacidada.info/

CADPP: http://www.cadpp.org/es

Grazia Tanta: http://grazia-tanta.blogspot.com.es/