The Parliamentary Ombudsman of Malta, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, has been appointed Vice Regional President of the European Regional Board of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI). His appointment follows a decision by the European Regional Board during a meeting held yesterday and reflects the growing recognition of Malta’s active participation in international Ombudsman fora.

The IOI’s European Regional Board is composed of seven Directors representing Ombudsman institutions across Europe. Of these, five are also elected to serve on the IOI’s global Board of Directors. Judge Zammit McKeon was elected to the European Board and the Global IOI Board in December 2023, following an election involving over 90 Ombudsman institutions and human rights bodies from across Europe.

Judge Zammit McKeon succeeds Mr Marc Bertrand, Ombudsman of Wallonia and of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Belgium, whose term as Ombudsman expired earlier this year. In accepting the appointment, Judge Zammit McKeon expressed his sincere gratitude to his fellow Board members for their trust and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the objectives of the IOI and promoting good governance and the protection of rights throughout Europe.

Established in 1978, the International Ombudsman Institute is the leading global organisation for independent Ombudsman institutions. With over 200 members from more than 100 countries, the IOI provides a platform for collaboration, capacity-building, and the promotion of best practices through training, research, and project support. Its six regional chapters ensure that regional priorities are addressed within the broader framework of international cooperation.

Rule of law guarantees democracy and citizens’ rights and freedoms; it is one of the fundamental values of the European Union (EU). Although each Member State has their national laws, they must act in accordance with EU requirements to jointly promote the interests of democratic countries and the rights of individuals.

For the sixth year in a row, the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) has been inviting participating institutions to report on the situation in their country, focusing on various aspects of human rights and rule of law. The report is an opportunity to see Latvia in relation to other EU countries, to assess aspects where our country manages to implement good practices and where improvements are needed. At the same time, it is also an opportunity for the Ombudsman’s Office to show what the institution has done to strengthen human rights in Latvia.

Some of the areas described in the report are highlighted here, the full report includes detailed information on these and other aspects of the rule of law.

It is worth highlighting the fact that, as of 6 March 2025, the functions of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) have also been enshrined in the Ombudsman’s Law. In practice, the Ombudsman’s Office has been performing these functions for several years. At the same time, preventive work with monitoring human rights becomes the duty of the Ombudsman. The report mentions that work on the implementation and strengthening of the NPM has also taken place in other countries, such as Belgium and the Netherlands. National human rights institutions in individual countries have obtained other new mandates.If we compare the National Human Rights Institution of Latvia or the Ombudsman’s Office with similar institutions in other EU countries, it is still important to highlight that the Ombudsman is entitled to turn to the Constitutional Court if he sees that other means and efforts to solve the problem have not been effective. For example, in 2025, following an application by the Ombudsman, the Constitutional Court initiated two cases: one case on the right of students to receive a scholarship for social support, and another case on the regulation of noise assessment and management. The authorities of other countries do not have such a right; accordingly, it is difficult to influence the rule of law at constitutional level.As another important cornerstone of a healthy rule of law, we want to highlight the Ombudsman’s role in educating the public. The Office’s experts have been actively involved in the ‘Ready for Life’ programme for school children, promoting open dialogue and lively conversations with young people. The Office has been education the society on several other topics, such as the respect of patients’ rights and the prevention of human trafficking risks, working with both public and sectoral specialists. Several studies were carried out in 2024, in particular, regarding discrimination prevention. Information on the studies is available to the public on Ombudsman’s website.

Ombudsman’s Office stands out in the ENNHRI report with very high rates of implementation of the recommendations issued by the institution. At least 61% of the Ombudsman’s recommendations have been implemented, which is a very good performance and testifies to the institution’s constructive, meaningful and internationally appreciated work.

ENNHRI Rule of Law Report is available on the ENNHRI website. In addition, the European Commission (EC) has also published its Rule of Law Report. The two reports are complementary, but the EC report is binding on the country and commits to action. The Commission has drawn the attention of the Latvian authorities to the following recommendations: 1) to take measures with the aim of ensuring adequate safeguards that would prevent unauthorised political influence in the procedures for the appointment of Supreme Court judges, taking into account European standards on the appointment of representatives of the judiciary; 2) to ensure the effective implementation of legislation on lobbying, including with regard to a special temporary register of lobbyists.

Una significativa giornata di confronto si è svolta oggi lunedì 14 luglio 2025 a Roma con la visita ufficiale della delegazione dell’Ombudsman della Repubblica dell’Angola, accolta dal Difensore Civico della Regione Lazio e Presidente del Coordinamento Nazionale dei Difensori Civici italiani, Marino Fardelli.

La giornata si è articolata in due importanti momenti istituzionali:

In mattinata, presso il Consiglio Regionale del Lazio, la delegazione angolana è stata ricevuta dal Presidente del Consiglio, On. Antonello Aurigemma, per un approfondimento sul sistema delle garanzie regionali in Italia e sul ruolo di tutela svolto dalla Difesa Civica nei confronti dei cittadini e delle fasce più fragili della popolazione.

Nel pomeriggio, l’incontro è proseguito presso la Camera dei Deputati, con la partecipazione dell’On. Paolo Ciani, Presidente della Sezione bilaterale di Amicizia Italia – Africa Occidentale, per un confronto sugli strumenti di cooperazione parlamentare e le sinergie istituzionali tra i due Paesi nell’ambito della promozione dei diritti umani, della trasparenza amministrativa e del buon governo.

“Il dialogo tra le Istituzioni è fondamentale per costruire ponti di cooperazione basati sul rispetto reciproco, sulla condivisione delle buone pratiche e sul rafforzamento delle tutele per i cittadini, ovunque essi si trovino” – ha dichiarato Marino Fardelli, sottolineando l’importanza di questi momenti di confronto tra le difese civiche dei diversi Paesi.

Nel corso della giornata è stato presentato con particolare interesse il “Modello Lazio”, esempio virtuoso di difesa civica integrata, che agisce in sinergia con le altre autorità di garanzia regionali – come i Garanti per l’Infanzia e per i Diritti delle Persone Private della Libertà – per assicurare una tutela diffusa, accessibile e concreta dei diritti.

Il modello Lazio, basato su ascolto, mediazione, prossimità e azione istituzionale coordinata, è stato indicato come riferimento nell’ambito delle buone pratiche amministrative e rappresenta un contributo italiano alla cooperazione internazionale tra le difese civiche.

The Greek Ombudsman, Andreas Pottakis, expressed his strong reaction denouncing the three-month suspension of access to asylum for newcomers from North Africa, as it is in direct violation of international and EU law, undermining fundamental principles of the rule of law.

In his letter of 10.07.2025 to the President of the Hellenic Parliament and the Government the Ombudsman welcomed the recent announcement of a first reception centre on Crete, viewing it as a positive step toward ensuring dignified treatment of newly arrived migrants. He emphasized that a permanent facility is far preferable to the prolonged use of temporary spaces like the exhibition centre in Chania or other makeshift locations currently being used across the island. The absence of official structures, he warned, can contribute to xenophobia and even racist violence.

El Defensor del Pueblo ha iniciado una actuación de oficio por la que solicita al Ministerio de Trabajo y Economía Social información sobre las inspecciones  que realiza para evitar que se produzcan muertes de trabajadores por estar expuestos a temperatura extremas.

La institución Defensor del Pueblo ha tomado esta decisión tras tener conocimiento, por los medios de comunicación, de varias muertes de trabajadores en los últimos días en distintos puntos de la geografía nacional, a causa, presuntamente, de la exposición a temperaturas extremas durante su jornada laboral.

El Defensor del Pueblo recuerda que el Real Decreto 486/1997, de 14 de abril,  establece las condiciones mínimas de seguridad y salud de los trabajadores y que señala, entre otras cosas, “la obligación de adoptar medidas adecuadas para la protección de las personas que desarrollan trabajos al aire libre frente a cualquier riesgo relacionado con fenómenos meteorológicos adversos, incluyendo temperaturas extremas”.

La institución sugiere al Ministerio de Trabajo, ahora que se inicia uno de los veranos  que se prevén más calurosos de los últimos años -junio de 2025 ha sido el más cálido desde 1961, año desde el que la Agencia Española de Meteorología tiene registro- , que recuerde a empleadores (públicos y privados) la obligación de proteger la salud e integridad de los trabajadores ante episodios de temperaturas extremas.

La actuación de oficio también reclama información sobre la aplicación del Real Decreto mencionado y sobre cómo se aborda la previsión de este tipo de riesgos en el Plan  Estival 2025.