Deputy-Ombudsman Maija Sakslin has issued a reprimand to the wellbeing services county for several unlawful actions and negligence in the treatment of elderly spouses and the organisation of their services. A reprimand was also issued to the director responsible for the services for shortcomings in the organisation of home care and to a social worker who had failed to submit a notification of unlawful conduct in accordance with the Act on Supervision of Social Welfare and Health Care. 

Each public official and employee performing a public duty is responsible for ensuring that vulnerable clients receive the services they are legally entitled to. Neglecting this obligation may result in liability for their acts in office.

The Deputy-Ombudsman emphasises that, in order to safeguard the realisation of clients’ fundamental and human rights, shortcomings or negligence must be reported to the supervisory authority or a complaint must be filed about the matter. The obligation to report also applies to situations in which the wellbeing services county does not provide sufficient services.

Numerous mistakes in the processing of matters resulted in the spouses not being provided with the services they were legally entitled to receive at home, and the complainant was repeatedly prevented, with police assistance, from taking their spouse home from the care home.

The Deputy-Ombudsman recommended that the wellbeing services county consider how it can recompense the client and the complainant for the violation of their fundamental rights. 

Deputy-Ombudsman Sakslin’s decision EOAK/6255/2024 has been published (in Finnish) on the Parliamentary Ombudsman's website at www.oikeusasiamies.fi.

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

Am 29. Oktober 2025 empfing Volksanwalt Bernhard Achitz in seiner Funktion als Generalsekretär des International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) den kürzlich in den IOI-Vorstand gewählten Regionaldirektor und Ombudsmann von Panama, Eduardo Leblanc González, in Wien. Ziel dieses Treffens war es, Erfahrungen auszutauschen und bewährte Verfahren mit Kollegen aus aller Welt zu erörtern.

Achitz gab einen umfassenden Überblick über die Aktivitäten des IOI und die Dienstleistungen, die es seinen Mitgliedern anbietet. Dabei hob er insbesondere die Trainingsinitiativen, die Möglichkeit der Finanzierung für Ombudsman-bezogene Projekte in den IOI-Regionen, sowie die Tatsache hervor, dass das IOI Ombudseinrichtungen, die unter Druck geraten, unterstützen kann und das auch oft tut.

Leblanc González stellte die Arbeit der Ombudseinrichtung Panamas auf internationaler Ebene sowie die Herausforderungen vor, mit denen sie konfrontiert ist. Aktuell gehören dazu beispielsweise die Rechte von Bergleuten, die Rechte von Migrantinnen und Migranten, die das Land durchqueren, oder die Frage der Wasserreservoirs für den Panamakanal und die Umsiedlungen von Dörfern, die zur Realisierung solcher Projekte unumgänglich sind.

Als aktives Mitglied in verschiedenen internationalen Organisationen sucht Leblanc González nach Möglichkeiten, Erfahrungen und bewährte Verfahren mit Kolleginnen und Kollegen aus aller Welt auszutauschen. Die Mitgliedschaft in einer internationalen Organisation wie dem IOI ermöglicht eine solche Vernetzung, den Austausch bewährter Praktiken und gemeinsames Lernen.

On 24 October, the annual international scientific-practical conference on constitutional law, “The Role of Independent Oversight Institutions in the Constitutional Framework,” was held at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The event brought together members of the legal community to celebrate Constitution Day and to discuss the importance of institutions established by the Constitution that do not fall under the classic division of powers, as well as their role in a democratic society. The conference was organized by the Parliamentary Ombudspersons’ Office in cooperation with social and academic partners.

At the conference, participants discussed the establishment of the first ombuds institutions in Sweden more than 200 years ago, as well as the evolution of modern ombuds institutions. Alongside their traditional functions of overseeing how public authorities serve people, many of today’s ombuds institutions also perform several additional mandates, such as acting as the National Human Rights Institution, the National Preventive Mechanism, or the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings. As a result, they face daily dilemmas in balancing tasks that may sometimes be in tension with one another.

Speakers also examined the advantages and disadvantages of establishing specialized institutions operating alongside the Parliamentary Ombudspersons, drawing on the experience shared by representatives from Ukraine. They raised the question of whether the powers of the Parliamentary Ombudspersons could be expanded to include the right to apply to the Constitutional Court. Additionally, they considered whether the latest legislative amendments—under which a third Parliamentary Ombudsperson will be appointed and granted the authority to investigate complaints from business entities, including in the field of public service provision—might distort the true nature and purpose of the ombuds institution.

Conference participants unanimously agreed that, as democracy faces increasing challenges and political priorities continue to shift, institutions such as ombudspersons remain a vital pillar in safeguarding and defending human rights and freedoms and in ensuring the implementation of the principles of accountable governance and governmental responsibility to the public.

The keynote speeches at the conference were delivered by Prof. Dr. Gintaras Goda, President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania and Professor of Practic e at Vilnius University, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Erika Leonaitė, Parliamentary Ombudsperson of the Republic of Lithuania, Head of the National Human Rights Institution, and Assistant Professor at Vilnius University.

Other speakers included:
Prof. Dr. Algirdas Taminskas, first Head of the Parliamentary Ombudspersons’ Office of the Republic of Lithuania, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, Judge at the Supreme Court of Lithuania, and Professor of Practice at Vilnius University;
Erik Nymansson, Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman of Sweden;
Prof. Dr. Oleksandr Petryshyn, Acting Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine;
Prof. Dr. Skirgailė Žalimienė, President of the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania and Professor at Vilnius University;
Ann-Charlotte Nygård, Representative of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights;
Assist. Prof. Dr. Wojciech Włoch, Assistant Professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun;
Andrii Ovsiienko, Representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights;
Prof. Dr. Toma Birmontienė, Professor at Mykolas Romeris University and former Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania;
Birutė Sabatauskaitė, Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson of the Republic of Lithuania
Prof. Dr. Edita Žiobienė, Ombudsperson for Child’s Rights of the Republic of Lithuania and Professor of Practice at Mykolas Romeris University;
Mindaugas Kukaitis, Chairman of the Council of the Lithuanian Bar.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, was interviewed by Saviour Balzan on Xtra, broadcast on TVM, Malta’s national television station.

During the discussion, the Ombudsman explained the procedures followed once a complaint is received and how investigations are carried out within his Office. He noted that many issues are resolved during the course of the investigation, particularly in straightforward cases such as delays or lack of communication from public authorities. When a matter warrants a full investigation, this is conducted meticulously, and recommendations are issued where injustice or maladministration is identified.

The Ombudsman remarked that, in the majority of cases, his recommendations are implemented by the public administration, reflecting a generally constructive relationship between the Office and government entities. However, there remain instances where recommendations are not implemented.

He explained that when this occurs, the Ombudsman is empowered to refer such cases to Parliament for consideration. By the end of September 2025, a total of 15 reports had been tabled in Parliament under this procedure.

The Ombudsman also referred to his proposal for the establishment of an ad hoc Parliamentary Committee dedicated to discussing the Ombudsman’s reports and non-implemented recommendations, as a means to strengthen institutional accountability and oversight.

He further underlined that the Office of the Ombudsman serves as an alternative means of access to justice, capable of assessing not only the legality of administrative actions but also their fairness and proportionality, ensuring that complainants receive redress where decisions, though lawful, may still result in injustice.

The interview was aired on the 9th October 2025

Gli uffici del Difensore civico di Trento e di Bolzano e del Garante per i diritti dei pazienti del Tirolo hanno presentato alla Giornata delle porte aperte ad Innsbruck lo scorso 26 ottobre la brochure “Salute senza confini – Grenzenlos Gesund”, elaborata nell’ambito del progetto Interreg Fit4co, avviato ad ottobre 2024.

I Difensori civici del Trentino – Alto Adige ed il Garante per i diritti dei pazienti del Land Tirolo si sono riuniti per avvicinare la popolazione ai propri diritti in materia di salute nei tre territori. Nell’opuscolo vengono illustrati gli aspetti più importanti per usufruire al meglio dei servizi sanitari all’interno dell’Euregio, approfondendo gli istituti dell’assistenza sanitaria transfrontaliera e gli strumenti di tutela dei diritti dei pazienti. Il tandem di progetto, inoltre, ha come obiettivo ulteriore quello di dare voce alle tante organizzazioni di auto-aiuto e di volontariato presenti sul territorio. La Giornata delle porte aperte di Innsbruck ha costituito quindi un’ottima occasione per i cittadini per usufruire di consulenze mediche gratuite e per prendere contatto con le associazioni di pazienti ed i gruppi di auto-aiuto presenti.

La notizia completa è disponibile sul sito:
👉 https://www.consiglio.provincia.tn.it/presso-il-consiglio/difensore-civico/Pages/news-ed-eventi.aspx