El Defensor de la Infancia y Adolescencia de Andalucía, Jesús Maeztu, ha recibido hoy la visita de un grupo de niños, niñas y adolescentes del Consejo de Participación de Menores en Acogimiento Residencial de Huelva, conocido popularmente como Consejo Queen de Infancia.

Durante el encuentro, los chicos y chicas han podido conocer de primera mano la labor de la Defensoría en la defensa y promoción de sus derechos, así como los cauces que tienen a su disposición para trasladar sus inquietudes, propuestas o quejas. Los niños han estado acompañados por Francisco Mora, director general de Infancia, Adolescencia y Juventud; José Manuel Borrero, delegado territorial en Huelva y Margarita Pérez Crovetto, impulsora de esta iniciativa de participación infantil, entre otros.

El Defensor ha destacado la importancia de escuchar directamente la voz de niños, niñas y adolescentes, especialmente de quienes forman parte del sistema de protección, y ha subrayado que su participación es esencial para mejorar las respuestas de las administraciones y garantizar que sus derechos sean plenamente respetados.

La visita ha servido también para poner en valor el trabajo del Consejo Queen como espacio de escucha, participación y expresión de menores en acogimiento residencial, una experiencia que contribuye a que sus opiniones sean tenidas en cuenta en las decisiones que afectan a su vida cotidiana.

News - Date Wednesday | 22 April 2026

European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho’s annual report for 2025 shows that the number of complaints handled by the office rose by 54 percent (from 2264 to 3490) compared to 2024 and that the number of inquiries rose by 19 percent (from 415 to 492).

The steep rise is believed to be in part due to AI tools suggesting the Ombudsman when people look for help in relation to the EU administration.

While it is very positive that more people know about the European Ombudsman, this new reality has required the Office to adapt its internal working methods to be able to continue to meet the expectations of citizens.  

As part of the response, the Office recruited a dedicated AI officer and set up a cross-department AI taskforce and has already taken some practical steps to reduce the number of complaints that concern topics outside the mandate of the Ombudsman. 

Throughout 2025, the Office also explored how AI can help with some ancillary tasks related to case-handing, such as summarising large documents, while ensuring that human oversight continues and that AI is not used to take decisions. The AI policy was published on the Ombudsman website in December 2025 and will be updated as needed.

Transparency and accountability

The biggest proportion of inquiries continued to concern transparency and accountability issues (38 percent) in 2025. This was followed by complaints related to a culture of service (such as failures to reply), and then to those related to the proper management of infringement procedures.

Institutions had a high tendency to follow the Ombudsman’s proposals for a solution during inquiries (89%) and the suggestions for improvement (78%) at the end of inquiries.

During 2025, the Ombudswoman opened an own-initiative inquiry into how 15 EU agencies manage revolving doors situations and has now published good practice guidelines to help ensure a uniform approach to the matter across all agencies.

In 2025, Ms Anjinho also found a number of shortcomings in how the European Commission prepared several legislative proposals that it considered urgent. The Ombudswoman made proposals for improvement which she would like to see reflected in the upcoming revision of the Better Regulation rules.

Among the other inquiries opened was one into how the Commission ensures transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability in the adoption of harmonised standards for AI. The Ombudswoman also opened several access to documents inquiries including ones concerning a request for access to a risk assessment report by X and concerning a text message related to negotiations on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

Improvements

Improvements as a result of Ombudsman inquiries included the European Investment Bank proactively publishing more environmental and social data; the Commission improving conflict of interest measures for experts evaluating European Defence Fund projects; and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity updating its internal policy on dealing with requests for public access to documents.

Read the annual report 2025

On April 29, 2026, the Public Defender of Georgia filed an amicus curiae brief with the Tbilisi Court of Appeal regarding cases where participants of assemblies were found to be administrative offenders for deliberately creating obstacles to the movement of people.

According to the information recently spread by various open sources and applications received by the Public Defender's Office, common courts are hearing a large number of cases on the above grounds.

The provision prohibiting assembly participants from artificially blocking pedestrian walkways is a new addition to national legislation. The Public Defender responded to this legislative reservation with a public statement in December last year and called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs not to restrict the rights of participants in peaceful assemblies when the discomfort created for pedestrians, considering alternative routes of movement, the number of participants in the assembly or its duration, did not reach a sufficiently serious level. The Public Defender criticized the new regulation in the 2025 parliamentary report as well.[1]

Since the relevant case law for identifying assembly participants as offenders for creating obstacles to pedestrian movement on sidewalks is currently being shaped by the decisions of the common courts, the Public Defender provided the Tbilisi Court of Appeal with information about the relevant human rights standards to assist in a proper resolution of the issue. Among other things, the document emphasizes that any assembly, by its very nature, may cause some disruption to the normal rhythm of life, although the authorities should allow such disruption, except in cases where it would disproportionately harm the competing interest. In addition, considering the approaches of international human rights institutions and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the amicus curiae opinion summarizes individual circumstances that, in the opinion of the Public Defender, are important for common courts to consider when hearing such cases.

[1] 2025 Parliamentary Report of the Public Defender of Georgia, pp. 183-184, available on the website: < bit.ly/4t6mDmS > [30.04.2026].

The Public Defender of Georgia assesses the legal and practical situation related to the use of asbestos in Georgia in the context of human rights in a special report.

Asbestos is a substance that poses a high risk to human health and its exposure is associated with serious diseases, including mesothelioma and lung cancer. The report reviews the impact of asbestos on the realization of the right to occupational safety, health and a healthy environment. The document analyzes both international standards and national regulations and the practice of individual municipalities.

The report highlights a number of challenges, including:

• International standards relating to asbestos regulation have not been fully implemented in Georgia;
• Some types of asbestos, including chrysotile (white asbestos), are still permitted in Georgia;
• No technical regulations have been adopted to regulate in detail the protection of employees from exposure to asbestos in the workplace;
• There are no mechanisms for the systemic detection and recording of asbestos-containing materials;
• Municipal practices regarding the management of asbestos-containing infrastructure are inconsistent;
• The population's awareness of the dangers of asbestos is low.

In the report, the Public Defender recommends that the Government of Georgia develop a unified vision and strategy for the comprehensive regulation of the issue, which would ensure compliance of the national standard with international obligations and take effective steps in this direction.