n data martedì 17 febbraio presso il Consiglio regionale del Lazio – Sala Di Carlo, a cura dell’Ufficio del Difensore civico della Regione Lazio, si è svolto l’incontro dal titolo “Tutela dei diritti e promozione della solidarietà” con la partecipazione delle associazioni dei familiari dei prigionieri ucraini.

L’iniziativa nasce con il motivo di offrire un momento di ascolto e sostegno ai familiari delle persone detenute in Ucraina e con l’obiettivo di promuovere la cooperazione istituzionale e la solidarietà internazionale nella tutela dei diritti fondamentali. L’evento ha dimostrato concretamente come la difesa civica possa essere uno strumento efficace per garantire dignità e diritti, soprattutto nei contesti più complessi e delicati.

All’incontro oltre al Difensore civico della Regione Lazio Marino Fardelli, hanno partecipato:

• Antonello Aurigemma – Presidente del Consiglio regionale del Lazio e Presidente del Coordinamento Nazionale dei Presidenti delle Assemblee Legislative delle Regioni e delle Province Autonome Italiane
• Giosy Pierpaola Tomasello – Segretaria Generale del Consiglio regionale del Lazio
• Dmytro Lubinets – Commissario per i diritti umani del Parlamento ucraino (Ombudsman dell’Ucraina) – collegamento online
• Oksana Amdzhadin – Incaricato d’Affari dell’Ambasciata d’Ucraina in Italia
• Pierfrancesco Zazo – già Ambasciatore d’Italia in Ucraina
• Oles Horodetskyy – Presidente dell’Associazione cristiana degli ucraini in Italia, consigliere dell’Ombudsman del Parlamento ucraino
• Andrea Iacomini – Portavoce UNICEF Italia e autore del libro “La forza sia con te. Cronaca di una missione in Ucraina”
• Filippo Sensi – Senatore, Vicepresidente della Commissione straordinaria per la tutela e la promozione dei diritti umani

Uno dei momenti più significativi dell’incontro è stato il dialogo con i familiari dei prigionieri ucraini, che hanno condiviso testimonianze cariche di dolore ma anche di determinazione e fiducia nella comunità internazionale. Le loro parole hanno ricordato quanto la difesa dei diritti non sia un principio astratto, ma una responsabilità concreta che coinvolge istituzioni e società civile.

Il confronto ha rappresentato un momento di forte partecipazione emotiva e civile, rafforzando la consapevolezza che il dialogo e la cooperazione internazionale sono strumenti fondamentali per sostenere chi vive situazioni di sofferenza e incertezza.

L’incontro ha rappresentato un esempio concreto di cooperazione internazionale e solidarietà, capace di unire istituzioni e cittadini attorno alla tutela dei diritti e alla costruzione di relazioni basate sul dialogo e sulla giustizia.

Marino Fardelli ha così dichiarato:
“Oggi non celebriamo soltanto un incontro, ma rafforziamo un impegno comune: difendere i diritti, sostenere le persone e costruire, attraverso la solidarietà, un futuro di pace e dignità. Anche questo è difesa civica”

Sul sito di Radio Radicale è possibile vedere e ascoltare la registrazione dell’evento – clicca qui

L’agenzia di stampa La Presse ha diffuso un video-comunicato sull’iniziativa – clicca qui

An inspection ordered by Deputy-Ombudsman Maija Sakslin was carried out at the Turku Prison Outpatient Clinic of the Health Care Services for Prisoners on 29 and 30 October 2025. The inspection revealed several challenges related to the smooth running of the outpatient clinic’s operation and the availability of the services.

Deputy-Ombudsman Sakslin: The prisoners’ right to sufficient mental health services is not realised because of inadequate resources in the Health Care Services for Prisoners. The healthcare and medical care of prisoners depend entirely on the operation of the Health Care Services for Prisoners, as prisoners do not have the same opportunities to seek other healthcare services as the rest of the population. The anticipated increase in the number of prisoners will also increase the need for the services in the future.

Being able to contact the outpatient clinic and the processing of the service forms are not realised in the manner required by law in all situations. In addition, there are significant delays in the care path of ADHD examinations and access to the examinations has declined because of long waiting times.

Based on the observations made during the inspection, insufficient personnel and physician resources have a significant impact on the operation of the outpatient clinic and the organisation of patient work. The Deputy-Ombudsman emphasises that ensuring the availability of medical services is essential for the quality of care, patient safety and compliance with the obligations laid down in law.

The Deputy-Ombudsman requested that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Finance report what measures they have taken to ensure sufficient resources in the Health Care Services for Prisoners in accordance with section 22 of the Constitution of Finland.

In her decision EOAK/64/2024 of 25 April 2025 (in Finnish), the Deputy-Ombudsman has already commented on the availability of psychiatric care in prisons. The Deputy-Ombudsman will continue to monitor the situation in her oversight of legality.

The inspection record EOAK/5507/2025 has been published (in Finnish) on the website www.oikeusasiamies.fi.

For further information, please contact Senior Legal Adviser Anne Ilkka, tel. +358 9 432 3346.

Details

ntroduction

The Pact was adopted by the European Parliament on the 10 April 2024 and by the Council of the European Union on the 14 May 2024.  The legislative instruments forming the Pact were published in the Official Journal and became EU law on the 11 June 2024. The new rules will come into force on the 12 June 2026, after a two-year transition period for preparation and national implementation.

Ten (10) legislative instruments

A quick look:

1    Directive (EU) 2024/1346 - Reception Conditions Directive (recast)

This Directive has not as yet been transposed into Maltese law.  It establishes the standards required for the reception of applicants for international protection. It determines minimum rules for housing and accommodation, material support, access to healthcare, access to education for minor persons, access to the labour market, special safeguards for vulnerable persons, detention conditions and relative safeguards.

2    Regulation (EU) 2024/1347 - Qualification Regulation

This Regulation sets uniform criteria across all Member States for who qualifies for asylum and international protection, aligns rights attached to protection status, such as residence permits, access to employment, education, and social benefits, reduces divergent recognition rates to limit “asylum shopping”, improves legal certainty for both applicants and authorities, and strengthens integration prospects, by making rights more predictable and comparable across Member States. Being a Regulation (not a Directive), it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

3    Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 - Asylum Procedures Regulation

This Regulation aims at uniform asylum procedures across the EU so that cases of a similar nature are treated in the same way in every Member State. APR is intended to hasten decision-making through clear deadlines and streamlined procedures, reducing long periods of uncertainty for applicants.  The Regulation brings in border procedures to manage arrivals more efficiently while maintaining safeguards.  It is intended to strengthen rule of law principles including the right to be heard and legal assistance. APR helps to make reduces secondary asylum outcomes more predictable and consistent across the EU. Being a Regulation (not a Directive) it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

4    Regulation (EU) 2024/1349 - Border Return Procedure Regulation

This Regulation creates a specific, fast-track return system at the EU’s external borders for people who applied for asylum through the border asylum procedure, and their request was rejected. Being a Regulation (not a Directive), it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

5    Regulation (EU) 2024/1350 - Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Framework Regulation

This Regulation creates a structured, coordinated EU system for a) resettlement by the transfer of refugees from third countries to EU Member States, and b) humanitarian admission, a similar procedure but more flexible criteria. The Regulation replaces ad hoc and voluntary resettlement schemes applied in the past with a predictable annual EU-level planning system. Being a Regulation (not a Directive), it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

6    Regulation (EU) 2024/1351 - The Asylum and Migration Management Regulation 

The AMMR replaces Dublin III (EU Reg 604/2013) and creates a permanent EU responsibility-sharing system so that frontline Member States are no longer left alone when arrivals increase.  Ad-hoc crisis measures are replaced with clear, predictable rules for asylum and migration management. Member States must either relocate asylum seekers, provide financial contributions, or offer operational support.  The Regulation strengthens coordination and planning through national migration strategies aligned at EU level. Being a Regulation (not a Directive) it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

7    Regulation (EU) 2024/1352 - “Alignment” / Consequential Amendments Regulation

Although technical in nature, the Regulation has its importance within the framework of the Pact as it amends a number of existing EU migration and asylum instruments to ensure legal consistency with the new rules brought in by the Pact. Being a Regulation (not a Directive), it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

8    Regulation (EU) 2024/1356 - The Screening Regulation

This  Regulation introduces mandatory pre-entry screening of all irregular arrivals at the external borders of the EU (including identity, security, and health checks), from the very start looks and identifies vulnerabilities, children, victims of human trafficking, or people with special needs, directs people swiftly either to asylum procedures, return procedures, or refusal of entry improves security and data consistency through systematic registration and checks in EU database, and enhances  independent oversight during screening.  The Regulation expressly stipulates that the Ombudsman has to be involved in the monitoring of the process. Being a Regulation (not a Directive) it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

9    Regulation (EU) 2024/1358 - The Eurodac (Recast) Regulation

This Regulation upgrades the EU biometric database, going beyond fingerprints to include more categories of migrants, lower age thresholds, and stronger law-enforcement access supports fair responsibility allocation, helping determine which Member State is responsible for examining an asylum claim, facilitates returns and migration management, by allowing data use for identifying people without legal stay, covers a wider group of persons, including those apprehended after irregular border crossings and people rescued at sea, and introduces more clear rules on access, retention periods, and oversight. Being a Regulation (not a Directive), it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

10    Regulation (EU) 2024/1359 - The Crisis and Force Majeure Regulation

This Regulation provides an EU-wide legal framework for emergency situations, such as mass influxes, humanitarian crises, or events beyond a Member State’s control, allows  temporary derogations from normal asylum and return rules, giving states flexibility while remaining within EU law, favours enhanced solidarity measures, including faster relocations or increased financial and operational support, ensures legal certainty and coordination, replacing improvised crisis responses with predefined procedures, and keeps in place fundamental rights safeguards, even when exceptional measures are applied. Being a Regulation (not a Directive), it will be directly applicable in Malta without the need for transposition on the 12 June 2026.

Implementation

The fair and reasonable implementation of the Pact will be under careful scrutiny especially balancing responsibility and solidarity among Member States while upholding European values and international protection rights.  The EU Commission has declared that once the legal instruments are in force, it will not keep back from commencing infringement proceedings against Member States who fail to meet their obligations. The success or otherwise of the Pact will be measured by whether it can both deliver a more equitable sharing of responsibilities among EU Member States and uphold commitments to protect those who seek refuge.

On February 20, 2026, in order to raise awareness of children's rights, an interactive meeting was organized for children by the Public Defender of Georgia, the European Union Office in Georgia and the UNICEF. The theme of the meeting was: Children for Their Rights: A Dialogue between Children and Leaders.

At the meeting, young people were given the opportunity to share their views and engage in a direct dialogue on their rights with Public Defender Levan Ioseliani, Deputy Public Defender Irine Chikhladze, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Georgia Lenka Vitkova, and Acting Representative of UNICEF in Georgia Alexandru Nartea.

In his speech, the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, emphasized the importance of explaining to children the mechanisms for protecting their rights. The participants were also presented with information materials on children's rights, adapted for children, prepared by the Public Defender's Office with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Children's Fund, which aim to make information about children's rights and existing protection mechanisms more accessible, interesting and easily understandable for children. Special attention was paid to the importance of the prepared materials, including their direct use in schools. The discussion was followed by a practical part, where children had the opportunity to better understand the materials and share ideas on how the situation of children's rights protection could be improved in the country.