The right to good administration

The loss of confidence in the public authorities calls for greater control and quality of administrative action. The right to good administration responds to this legitimate demand. This right, which is fundamental in the European Union legal system, should be understood as the public administration’s obligation to act with a certain level of diligence. Diligence consists of the need to resolve the case in due time, fairly and impartially weighing the circumstances of the case, and providing the public service with the required quality. Otherwise, the administration will see its act invalidated or be held liable. Likewise, its ethical basis justifies generalizing public action in administrative matters