President Manuel Baltar, introduced by the president of the Xunta de Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, delivered a speech detailing the main lines of his administration’s action during a Forum of the local newspaper La Región held on November, 15th in Arrabaldo (Ourense province). He commented on the role of provincial governments (local intermediate authorities) highlighting their significance in the daily management of the territories, in the commitment to projects that energise them and in the defense of their culture and identity and put emphasis on their pioneering practices with regards to transparency and good governance.
The La Región Forum “The leadership of Ourense” gathered in the restaurant A Carballeira, in Santa Cruz de Arrabaldo, a wide representation of Galician and Ourense society, such as the executive president of Adolfo Domínguez, Adriana Domínguez; the president of Copasa, José Luis Suárez; the chancellor of the University of Vigo, Manuel Reigosa; and political representatives such as the president of the Parliament of Galicia, Miguel Santalices; the Minister of Rural Environment, José González; the Minister of Employment, María José Lorenzana; mayors from all over the province, deputies and parliamentarians.
The coordinator of Partenalia was invited to represent the network as President Baltar underlined its significance to promote European cooperation between Local Intermediate Authorities of the various Member States and reaffirmed his great pride to have been presiding over the association over the past four years and to have recently been reelecting as president for a third term.
The president of the Provincial Council and of Partenalia called for more optimism and less victimhood stressing the fact that elected teams of provincial governments are there to do, to act and to actually govern. Along these lines, he assured that “Ourense is the territory with the greatest thermal potential in all of Europe.”
Also referring to Spanish provincial governments, President Baltar stated that providing them with “greater democratic legitimacy”, would, in his opinion, be achieved with a direct electoral process to choose their representatives.
President Baltar highlighted the key role of the provincial council in the management as a “great consultancies for town halls”, regarding such aspects as cooperation and decentralisation. In reference to cooperation, although he acknowledged that the diputaciones are there to attend to the smallest councils, he insisted that they are also instrumental in the development and cultural life of larger cities.
