Giovanna Bruno (Anci Puglia): new opportunity to shorten distances between citizens and justice, especially to the benefit of the most fragile and socially weak, through the crucial role of the Municipalities”
The Puglia Region inaugurates the network of Proximity Offices, an innovative justice model designed to improve the accessibility and usability of legal services – especially for the most vulnerable segments of the population – made more difficult following the closure of some detached sections of the Courts. The project, presented this morning at the headquarters of the Puglia Region in via Gentile in Bari, aims to digitize all the voluntary jurisdiction files at the Apulian Courts, allowing some activities related to voluntary jurisdiction to be carried out directly at the Municipalities of belonging.
Vice President Giovanna Bruno, Mayor of Andria, was present for ANCI Puglia. “We assure full support for the initiative that requires greater communication, not only regarding the postponement of the project’s conclusion deadline (from 06.30.2024 to 12.31.2024), but above all regarding the potential of this new opportunity to shorten the distances between citizens and justice, especially for the benefit of the most fragile and socially weak, through the key role of the Municipalities” – declared Giovanna Bruno.
The Vice President of ANCI Puglia also underlined the need to insist on the training of operators, to avoid the usual risk of creating new cathedrals in the desert and missing a useful opportunity to establish a climate of trust in users, necessary for the success of the project. project. Giovanna Bruno also highlighted the importance of establishing objectives to be achieved, measurable with concrete indicators, in order to be able to intervene on those aspects of the service which, during construction, prove to be abstract and without a direct impact on the needs of users and on their expectations.
“It is necessary to insist on the communication of this project – concluded the Mayor of Andria – and to this end ANCI will immediately take action for a dissemination action aimed at the entire ANCI network, indicating the Development Department as regional interlocutors, just in case Economic Service of the Puglia Region and the Infrastructure and Digital Growth Service of the Puglia Region”.
In order to allow the Municipalities to carry out the service, the Region has coordinated relations with the Ministry of Justice and with all the bodies involved, has provided the Municipalities with the necessary furnishings and IT equipment, has taken care of the specialist training of the personnel in charge (to date, training sessions have already been provided to 57 resources, for a total of over 900 hours used), has entrusted the digitization activity of over 27,000 Voluntary Jurisdiction files at the Apulian Courts, to make the information more accessible and simplify the procedures.
To date, there are 44 municipalities, individually or in association, that have joined the initiative by responding to two notices of expression of interest published by the regional region (of which 22 are leaders). In recent weeks, local offices have already been opened Municipalities of Barletta, Minervino Murge and Noicattaro and are in the process of opening soon also the Municipalities of Ugento, Andria, Galatina, Molfetta and Guagnano; Subsequently, as the municipal staff completes the planned training course, all other 14 proximity offices will be activated by 2024, involving a total of 44 municipalities and a catchment area of over 700,000 residents in Puglia. The aforementioned opportunity for digitalization and relocation of the justice system, in the logic of proximity to the needs of citizens and professionals, is made possible thanks to specific memoranda of understanding and practice protocols signed between the Puglia Region, the Municipalities participating in the initiative and the Courts of Bari, Brindisi, Lecce, Foggia, Taranto and Trani.
“The project is synergic and complementary to the many initiatives that the Puglia Region is promoting within its Agenda PugliaDigitale#2030 – declared the Councillor for Economic Development, Alessandro Delli Noci – where digital and the possibility of providing services remotely is declined in the perspective of inclusion and shortening physical distances and where technology simplifies the life of citizens. Thanks to the Proximity Offices, citizens, professionals and operators will be able to access, without necessarily having to reach the Courts, numerous services, including guidance on legal protection institutions (such as support administration, guardianship and the appointment of curators), distribution and compilation of forms for judicial procedures, support in drafting legal documents (appeals, requests, etc.), updates on the status of Voluntary Jurisdiction procedures and electronic filing of documents. I would like to thank all the bodies involved, the Ministry of Justice, the Apulian Courts and the Municipalities that have given their availability to meet and offer useful services to their citizens”.
The project is promoted by the Ministry of Justice with funds from the Operational Program Complementary to the National Operational Program “Governance and institutional capacity” 2014-2020 (axis 1, Thematic Objective 1.4).
