From 21 to 23 September, a Petitions Committee delegation will visit Athens and Larissa to assess progress since the 2023 Tempi train accident, focusing on railway safety and infrastructure.

A delegation led by Petitions’ Vice-Chair Dolors Montserrat will undertake a three-day fact-finding visit to assess the steps taken following the 2023 Tempi train accident regarding safety measures, the application of EU legislation, the implementation of EU-funded railway infrastructures, as well as the petitioners’ concerns regarding the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms.

MEPs will start their visit on Monday 21 in Larissa, where they will meet with the President and Board Members of the Tempi affected persons’ association.

The following day, the delegation will meet the Governor of Thessaly, Dimitrios Kouretas, before visiting the Larissa railway traffic control centre, accompanied by representatives of the Hellenic Railways Organisation. They will then travel to Athens to meet representatives of Hellenic Train, the main operator of passenger and freight rail services in Greece.

The mission will conclude on Wednesday 23 with meetings with the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Christos Dimas, the Alternate Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Giorgos Kotsiras and Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Nikolaos Tachiaos, at the Acharnes Railway Center, as well as the national regulatory authority for railways (RAS), trade unions and representatives of the independent national accident investigation body (HARSIA).

 
Members of the delegation:

• Dolors Montserrat (EPP, ES) - Head of delegation
• Isilda Gomes (S&D, PT)
• Kosma Złotowski (ECR, PL)
• Ana Miranda Paz (Greens/EFA, ES)

 
Accompanying members:

• Manolis Kefalogiannis (EPP, EL)
• Yannis Maniatis (S&D, EL)
• Emmanouil Fragkos (ECR, EL)
• Nikos Pappas (The Left, EL)

 
Press conference

On Wednesday 23 September at 13.15 (local time), Vice-Chair Dolors Montserrat will hold a press conference on the outcome of the mission at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Athens (8 Leoforos Amalias).

 
Background
On 28 February 2023, at approximately 23:18 local time, passenger train IC-62, travelling from Athens to Thessaloniki, collided head-on with freight train 63503 near Evangelismos in the Tempi Valley, close to Larissa. According to the official accident investigation by the Hellenic Air & Rail Safety Investigation Authority (HARSIA), the IC-62 passenger train had 352 persons on board at the time of the accident. The collision resulted in 57 fatalities, including 46 passengers and 11 railway personnel, as well as 81 serious injuries requiring hospitalisation for more than 24 hours, and 99 minor injuries and is considered the deadliest railway accident recorded in Greece.

El síndic de Greuges de la Comunitat Valenciana, Ángel Luna, ha recomendado a la Conselleria de Sanidad que restablezca, a la mayor brevedad posible, las consultas y procedimientos de plasma rico en plaquetas (PRP) en el Departamento de Salud de Marina Baixa. Además, recuerda a la Administración que, cuando una reclamación presente defectos formales, debe ofrecer a la persona interesada la posibilidad de subsanarlos y pronunciarse expresamente sobre su solicitud.

La actuación se inició tras la queja de una paciente derivada por el Hospital Marina Baixa, a través del Plan de Choque, a un centro privado para una intervención quirúrgica. Tras la operación, el facultativo recomendó infiltraciones de PRP, que finalmente no recibió en el sistema público. Durante la investigación, la Conselleria informó de que estos procedimientos estaban temporalmente suspendidos por motivos organizativos y asistenciales y que se estaban adoptando medidas para recuperarlos.

El Síndic considera que las demoras prolongadas en el acceso a tratamientos pueden afectar al derecho a la protección de la salud y a una buena administración. Por ello, recomienda reactivar los procedimientos y ofrecer esta prestación a la promotora de la queja y a los usuarios que la precisen.

Una reclamación con defectos formales que no fue tramitada ni respondida

En su resolución, el Síndic también aborda la falta de respuesta expresa de la Administración a la reclamación presentada por la persona afectada ante el Servicio de Atención e Información al Paciente (SAIP) del hospital en relación con la falta de infiltraciones de PRP y con su atención en Nefrología. Aunque el servicio le comunicó que tramitaría su queja, la paciente no llegó a recibir una respuesta formal.

Sanidad explicó después que no había considerado aquel escrito una queja formal porque no se presentó mediante el formulario correspondiente ni a través del registro. Sin embargo, el Síndic constató que el propio Departamento de Salud publicaba en su web el correo del SAIP como vía de contacto, por lo que considera razonable que la paciente entendiera que podía utilizarlo para reclamar.

El Síndic subraya que los defectos formales no justificaban dejar el escrito sin tramitar: la normativa obliga a informar a la persona interesada de las deficiencias y darle la posibilidad de subsanarlas.

En este caso, no se pidió a la paciente que subsanara la reclamación, no se le comunicaron los defectos formales y tampoco se dictó respuesta expresa. La institución considera que esta actuación es contraria a la normativa y a los principios de buena administración y seguridad jurídica. Por ello, recomienda a Sanidad que, en casos similares, aplique el mecanismo de subsanación y garantice una respuesta expresa, motivada y conforme a derecho.

Consulta la resolución del Síndic sobre este asunto.

Il direttore della Fondazione Trentina Alcide de Gasperi, Marco Odorizzi, ha guidato i dipendenti del Consiglio alla scoperta della mostra “Alcide De Gasperi. Album 1946 – L’estate delle scelte”,  un'opportunità per approfondire i contenuti dell’esposizione allestita a Palazzo Trentini, dedicata a uno degli anni più importanti della storia italiana e trentina.

Attraverso fotografie, documenti e testimonianze, il percorso ricostruisce i principali avvenimenti del 1946: dalle prime elezioni amministrative con la partecipazione delle donne al voto al Referendum istituzionale del 2 giugno, dalla nascita della Repubblica alla Conferenza di pace di Parigi, fino alla firma, il 5 settembre, dell’Accordo De Gasperi-Gruber.

La visita, introdotta dal presidente Claudio Soini e alla quale hanno partecipato anche i consiglieri Francesca Parolari e Paolo Zanella, ha permesso di soffermarsi sul ruolo svolto da Alcide De Gasperi nella costruzione della nuova Italia democratica e nel percorso che avrebbe condotto all’Autonomia regionale. Un racconto nel quale la dimensione politica si intreccia con quella personale e familiare dello statista trentino, restituita anche attraverso numerose immagini provenienti dall’archivio di Maria Romana De Gasperi, messe a disposizione per la prima volta grazie a Paolo Magagnotti.

La mostra rappresenta la terza tappa del progetto scientifico e divulgativo avviato nel 2024 su iniziativa della Presidenza del Consiglio provinciale e sviluppato insieme alla Fondazione Museo storico del Trentino e alla Fondazione Trentina Alcide De Gasperi. Curata da Marco Odorizzi ed Elena Tonezzer, con la collaborazione di Monica Avancini, l’esposizione invita a rileggere le scelte compiute ottant’anni fa non soltanto come avvenimenti del passato, ma come fondamento della democrazia, della convivenza e dell’Autonomia di oggi.

“Alcide De Gasperi. Album 1946 – L’estate delle scelte” è visitabile a Palazzo Trentini, in via Manci 27 a Trento, fino al 27 settembre, tutti i giorni dalle 9 alle 18, con ingresso libero. Le visite guidate a cura della Fondazione Trentina Alcide De Gasperi si svolgono ogni sabato alle 10.30.

This special report was prepared by the Public Defender’s Office owithin the framework of the femicide monitoring mechanism; it analyzes cases of femicide and attempted femicide that occurred in 2024.

The analysis of the causes of femicide committed in 2024 once again demonstrates that violence is deeply rooted in gender inequality, established social norms regarding the "subordinate" role of women, and tolerance toward domestic violence. Furthermore, social and economic factors—including poverty, unemployment, and limited access to education—significantly increase the risk of violence.

The growing practice of identifying gender-based motives in cases of femicide and attempted femicide is a positive development; however, in a number of instances—at both the investigative and judicial stages—the gender-based motive is interpreted narrowly, failing to adequately account for the broader social and relational context of the violence. Monitoring results clearly demonstrate that combating femicide requires the interconnected, gender-sensitive, and consistent implementation of justice, social protection, and prevention policies—an area that remains one of the most significant challenges for state policy.

We hope that the findings and recommendations presented in the report will be taken into account during the planning and implementation of state policy against femicide.

In her two recent decisions, Deputy-Ombudsman Susanna Lindroos-Hovinheimo has assessed the organisation of services for older persons with a memory disorder in situations where living at home has become unsafe. The cases concerned situations where an elderly person with a memory disorder had been left living alone at home and the spouse or other person close to them was no longer responsible for the person’s daily care.

In the wellbeing services county’s service system, the starting point had been that living at home and home care services must be tried before the person can apply for service housing with 24-hour assistance or before the service can be granted to them. According to the Deputy-Ombudsman, this interpretation of the legislation is incorrect. The starting point in the legislation is that an older client has the right to live in their own home and receive the services they need there if they so wish. However, the law does not oblige wellbeing services counties to test whether the services provided at home are sufficient in situations where the person’s health or life may be at risk. The right to life and necessary care must also be safeguarded when the person’s need for services is still being assessed.

The decisions highlighted situations in which a person who had a memory disorder and was living alone had been in serious danger. For example, the person had left their home at night and had not been able to get back in or had stayed outdoors without adequate clothing. Such situations had occurred more than once, even though the authorities were aware of the risks.

The Deputy-Ombudsman also considers it problematic that applications for 24-hour service housing have been delayed, or that clients and their family members have been led to believe that they cannot apply for the service before trying home care. The Deputy-Ombudsman reminds that the client always has the right to apply for a service and to receive a written, appealable decision on their case.

The Deputy-Ombudsman finds it alarming that similar problems have emerged repeatedly. According to her, this is a wider phenomenon in which incorrect operating practices and unlawful interpretations may prevent older persons with memory disorders from receiving the services they need in a timely manner. For this reason, the Deputy-Ombudsman has emphasised the need for guidance at the national level.

Decisions EOAK/608/2025 and EOAK/217/2025 have been published (in Finnish) on the website www.oikeusasiamies.fi.

Further information is available from Principal Legal Adviser Lotta Hämeen-Anttila, tel. +358 9 432 3353.