Il Difensore Civico: a cosa serve davvero

The Civil Defender is a figure established in the Regions and Autonomous Provinces.
Usually, it is an administrative lawyer appointed by the Regional Council, who has the task of overseeing the proper functioning of the Public Administration.

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What does the Civil Defender do

• Receives citizens' reports when they have problems with public offices, entities, or companies providing public services.

• Checks that offices respect citizens' rights and laws.

• Can prompt responses, clarifications, or interventions, but does not have the power to annul acts or impose decisions.

• His task is mainly to prevent problems from becoming legal disputes that could damage the Region.

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My personal experience

I have already requested the intervention of the Civil Defender several times, and in all cases, he has given me the right, intervening directly with the concerned entity.

When the Civil Defender recognizes the validity of my report, for me it is still a victory: it means that the Region itself confirms that one of its entities had an incorrect behavior.

For this reason, it is important that all communications always take place via PEC:

• in this way they remain official acts,

• they can also be used in an eventual court proceeding.

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What the Civil Defender does NOT do

• It is not a personal lawyer for the citizen.

• It does not replace a judge or a court.

• It cannot guarantee compensation: this is only obtained in judicial proceedings.

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Why it is useful to turn to him

• It is a free and institutional channel to assert your rights before filing a complaint.

• It allows obtaining greater attention from public offices.

• It can act as a mediator and report any abuses or irregularities.

• Even though it mainly defends the Region, when it gives a citizen the right, it is already an important result.