The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, together with the Commissioner for Education, Chief Justice Emeritus Vincent De Gaetano, visited the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU) Freshers’ Week at the University of Malta. They were welcomed and guided around the event by KSU President Gerard Zammit Young.
During the visit, the Ombudsman toured a number of stands, engaging with student organisations, public service representatives, and academics.
The Ombudsman also visited the stand of the Office of the Ombudsman, which was set up to promote awareness among students about the institution’s role in safeguarding good governance and addressing complaints against public administration.
The Office’s participation in Freshers’ Week forms part of its wider outreach strategy, aimed at strengthening connections with younger generations and ensuring that students are aware of their rights and the support the Ombudsman can provide.
Join the African Ombudsman Research Centre, the research and training arm of the African Ombudsman and Mediators' Association, for their webinar entitled "Maximizing Impact and Reach". This event, organised in partnership with the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), will take place on Tuesday, 7 October 2025 at 10 am (GMT+2). Kindly click here to see the official invitation note.
On 22 and 23 September 2025, the ombuds institutions of the Benelux countries gathered in Brussels for their annual meeting to discuss key regional issues. During the meeting, the group welcomed two new ombudsmen: Claudine Konsbruck, the Ombudsman of Luxembourg, and Nicolas Lagasse, the new Médiateur de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
The Ombudsperson, Marc-André Dowd, tabled the 2024-2025 Annual Report of the Protecteur du citoyen on 2 October 2025 at the National Assembly of Québec.
The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland has published an English summary of the Annual Report 2024. Kindly click here to read the document.
European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho has opened an inquiry into how the European Commission ensures transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability in the adoption of harmonised standards for artificial intelligence (AI).
The Honourable Ombudsman Punjab, Ayesha Hamid, represented Pakistan at the 26th Meeting of the Board of Directors (BOD) and the 18th General Assembly (GA) of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), hosted by the National Commission of Supervision of China in Nanjing from 9 to 10 September 2025. The event convened ombudsman leaders, oversight institutions, and experts from across Asia, providing a dynamic platform to deliberate on common challenges, institutional cooperation, and strategies for citizen-centered governance.
El Síndic de Greuges de Cataluña ha hecho público el 26 de septiembre de 2025 un informe que analiza el funcionamiento de los programas de apoyo a la emancipación de los jóvenes extutelados. Se constata una gestión deficitaria de los recursos y una falta de herramientas adecuadas para fiscalizar las ayudas otorgadas. La afectación de los derechos de los jóvenes llevó a la institución a pedir la condonación de su deuda y la Administración lo ha aceptado.
Con el objetivo de promover y proteger los derechos humanos, de las de niñas, niños y adolescentes (NNA), la Defensoría del Pueblo, a través de la dirección de Unidades Especializadas (DUE), llevó cabo en el mes de septiembre cuatro jornadas de capacitación dirigidas a la comunidad educativa que comprende docentes y estudiantes de cuatro centros escolares en la ciudad de Panamá.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) Paula Sussex CBE will be in East London for her first roadshow to hear from NHS staff, charities and advocacy groups about issues affecting the local community.
The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, on 26 September 2025 announced the completion of a full investigation into the Hospital Authority (“HA”)’s deposit refund arrangements for the assistive device loan service, with 12 recommendations on improvement measures made.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, was invited by the Malta Chamber, the Malta Business Bureau and the General Workers Union to speak at the European Roundtable Discussion held on 30 September 2025 at the Malta Chamber in Valletta. The event formed part of the EU-funded TransFormWork 2 project, which explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and promotes a fair and human-centred transition towards digitalisation. The project brings together European social partners to develop common guidelines on the responsible use of AI while safeguarding fundamental rights.
El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha asistido este jueves a la ceremonia de entrega de los Premios UNICEF España 2025.
El acto, que se ha celebrado en el Auditorio del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), ha estado presidido por la reina Letizia y ha contado con la presencia, entre otros, de la ministra de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Diana Morant; del delegado del Gobierno en Madrid, Francisco Martín; del presidente de UNICEF España, Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, y de miembros del Patronato y del Consejo Asesor de UNICEF España.
Los Premios UNICEF España reconocen el compromiso de personas, instituciones o colectivos que contribuyen a cambiar la vida de los niños más vulnerables y a avanzar en la defensa de los derechos de la infancia.
En esta edición han resultado premiados Gasol Foundation, en la categoría Transforma; la red de jóvenes periodistas de la Plataforma de Infancia Cibercorresponsales, en la de Comunicación, y Kim Phuc Phan Thi -conocida mundialmente como `la niña del napalm´-, en la categoría Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez.
El Defensor del Pueblo andaluz en funciones, Jesús Maeztu, y el director de la Oficina Andaluza contra el Fraude y la Corrupción (OAAF), Francisco de Paula Sánchez Zamorano, han coincidido hoy en la necesidad de colaboración para garantizar un funcionamiento adecuado de la Administración y de los presupuestos públicos.
En una atención a los medios de comunicación previa a un primer encuentro institucional -Sánchez Zamorano tomó posesión el pasado julio- el Defensor del Pueblo andaluz ha destacado su papel como garante y protector de los derechos de la ciudadanía y ha ofrecido la colaboración de la institución para “sanear” la política. La Oficina Antifraude “hace una gran contribución a la cultura de paz, para evitar que la gente joven se aparte de la política y demostrar que la política es una actitud noble. En ello encontrará toda mi ayuda”, ha afirmado Jesús Maeztu.
Por su parte, el director de la OAAF, Francisco de Paula Sánchez Zamorano, ha agradecido la recepción del Defensor del Pueblo andaluz dentro de una ronda de visitas a autoridades, y ha destacado la necesidad de colaboración entre ambas instituciones gracias a contar con competencias bien delimitadas entre uno y otro, “con el objetivo común de que la Administración pública funcione como el ciudadano espera que funcione”. Sánchez Zamorano ha señalado la necesidad de la lucha contra la corrupción, “un fenómeno que alcanza niveles intolerables y que crea desafección en la ciudadanía” y ha garantizado que “este órgano supone un instrumento adecuado para tratar de luchar en la medida de lo posible, corregir y minorar la corrupción”.
News - Date Tuesday | 30 September 2025 Case 1974/2025/MIK - Opened on Friday | 26 September 2025 - Institution concerned European Commission - Country Belgium
Complaint submitted
16/07/2025
Analysis of the complaint
17/07/2025
Inquiry ongoing
26/09/2025
Preliminary outcome
Inquiry outcome
European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho has opened an inquiry into how the European Commission ensures transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability in the adoption of harmonised standards for artificial intelligence (AI).
The inquiry follows a complaint from a civil society organisation concerned by the fact that the standardisation bodies responsible for developing the standards for the Commission are not required to publicly disclose information about the individuals working on them and do not publish the minutes of their meetings. The complainant also argues that the Commission has failed to ensure a balanced representation of interests in the standardisation process.
As a first step in the inquiry, the Ombudswoman has asked the Commission to reply to a series of questions concerning matters such as the composition of the group preparing the standards, the transparency rules applied by standardisation bodies, how the Commission is managing and monitoring the standardisation process, and how it will review its outcomes.
The Ombudswoman has also asked the Commission to provide her inquiry team with a number of documents concerning the matter.
Background
Harmonised standards are European standards developed by a recognised European Standards Organisation following a request from the European Commission. Companies can use harmonised standards to demonstrate that products, services, or processes comply with relevant EU legislation, which allows them to access the EU market.
In May 2023, the Commission issued a standardisation request concerning the AI Act to two private European standardisation organisations: the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC). The Commission asked them to ensure that the harmonised standards will contribute to minimising risks stemming from AI to safety and fundamental rights. This means that these organisations will need to address not only technical matters but also broader discretionary choices with regard to how high-risk AI systems should be designed and used to ensure the protection of fundamental rights in the EU.
Malta
