Coordinator: Concha Osácar
The following subjects were debated:
- Scope of the concept: to define those cases which should be included and, in the last instance, take a look at the problems of access and distribution.
- Scale of the problem in the modern-day world, connection with different-sized physical spaces conditioning the type of solution which can be forwarded regarding the problems of access.
- Establishment of criteria regarding the nature of basic resources. The "legitimate allocation" of basic resources.
- Reflection on the "social function" which influences the availability of basic resources and the possibility of "legitimate intervention" of the public authorities in the mechanisms of allocation and distribution. What room is there for "political decision" in this area, taking the interests at play into account?
- Matters of "administrative competence" regarding both ownership and regulation.
- Incidence of larger political-institutional areas in the issue of basic resources.
- Technical dimension of the problem, given that the availability of technological instruments and their financing (just think, for example, of access to methods for the desalination of sea water to make it drinkable, energy resources, renewable or otherwise, biofuels, elements with nuclear potential, patents for the production of medicines, developments in agriculture) are major conditioning factors in the availability of basic resources.
- The technical dimension of the problem of obtaining and accessing resources must be held up against current "climate change" phenomena due to the obvious impact which intensive technologies have on all areas of the natural environment (land, sea, air, etc.).
- Reflection which specifically took the current situation into account (the price of oil, the scarceness of raw materials and food, financing investments, the new direction of futures and options markets, etc.).