Volksanwältin Veronika Meyer tauscht sich im Rahmen des 30-Jahr-Jubiläums in Straßburg mit europäischen Amtskolleg:innen aus 16 Nationen über die Anwendung des EU-Rechts und der Transparenzbestimmungen aus. Überreichung der Festschrift durch die Europäische Bürgerbeauftragte Teresa Anjinho an die Präsidentin des Europäischen Parlaments, Roberta Metsola.

Ende Oktober nahm Volksanwältin Veronika Meyer an der Jubiläumsveranstaltung zum 30-jährigen Bestehen des Europäischen Verbindungsnetzwerkes der Bürgerbeauftragten in Straßburg teil. „Im Rahmen dieser Jubiläumsveranstaltung hatte ich die Möglichkeit, mich mit Kolleg:innen aus ganz Europa über bewährte Verfahren zu Themen wie Überwachung der Einhaltung des EU-Rechts, Auswirkungen der Vereinfachung der Rechtsvorschriften für die Arbeit der Ombudspersonen und Transparenz auszutauschen“, berichtet Veronika Meyer.

Ein besonderer Höhepunkt der Veranstaltung war die Überreichung der Festschrift, in der auch Beiträge aus Südtirol und dem Trentino in Fällen mit EU-Rechtsbezug enthalten sind, an Roberta Metsola, die Präsidentin des Europäischen Parlamentes. „Diese interessante Festschrift, in der auch Beiträge aus Südtirol und dem Trentino in Fällen mit EU-Rechtsbezug enthalten sind, spiegelt den vielschichtigen Wirkungsradius der Ombudspersonen in den verschiedenen Ländern in den vergangenen drei Jahrzehnten wider“, so Veronika Meyer.    

Das Europäische Ombudsman-Netzwerk ENO wurde 1996 gegründet und verbindet den Europäischen Bürgerbeauftragten, nationale und regionale Ombudspersonen und den Petitionsausschuss des Europäischen Parlaments. Die Koordination obliegt dem Europäischen Bürgerbeauftragten. Die Südtiroler Volksanwaltschaft ist von Beginn an Mitglied des Netzwerkes.

On November 10, 2026, the Consultative Council for Promoting, Protecting and Monitoring the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - established under the Public Defender of Georgia – held its 43^rd meeting.

The meeting was opened by Deputy Public Defender Irine Chikhladze, who presented the agenda items to the participants. She also shared updates regarding the Public Defender’s Office and discussed planned measures to ensure the accessibility of the Public Defender’s website.

A representative from the Office’s Department for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities briefed the Council members on the activities carried out over the past five months, within the framework of monitoring the promotion, protection and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Invited members of the Council discussed the amendments being introduced to the Law of Georgia on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concerning personal assistant services. During the meeting, attention was focused on the accessibility of public transport and the shortcomings encountered by persons with disabilities when using it. The discussion also covered practical barriers related to the issuance of parking identification signs for persons with disabilities, as well as the actions taken - and those planned - by the Public Defender’s Office in this regard.

Furthermore, the discussion addressed the challenges surrounding the participation of representative organizations of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes, as well as the barriers these organizations face in their operations.

The event was held with funding from the European Union and the DAI project - "Support to the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia."

Parliamentary Ombudsman Jari Råman finds that Helsinki Police Department acted in violation of the Criminal Investigation Act when the police failed to register the death threats reported by the complainant. The Ombudsman also criticises the fact that the police did not recognise possible domestic violence in the situation.

The complainant had gone to the Pasila police station after having received messages containing death threats from his brother, who lived abroad. According to the complainant, the police had stated that a report of an offence did not need to be filed and that the police could not intervene in the matter because the person threatening the complainant lived abroad. According to the police, the complainant had not indicated they wanted to report an offence. On the following day, the complainant reported an offence on the same matter at Eastern Uusimaa Police Department.

The Ombudsman emphasises that the police have a fairly absolute obligation to register a report of an offence or an event that the person reporting it suspects to be an offence. The report cannot be refused on the grounds that the matter appears to be unclear or difficult to investigate. Registering a report of an offence and assessing the preconditions for initiating a pre-trial investigation are two separate measures.

The police must recognise domestic violence

According to the Ombudsman, the possibility of repeated domestic violence must be taken into account in the assessment of the actions. The threat was made by the complainant’s brother, but the police did not seem to have recognised the link with domestic violence.

Police officers have a particular obligation to identify situations involving domestic violence, as the victim may not necessarily realise themselves that they are a victim of domestic violence. The complainant’s and the officer’s accounts differed in terms of the advice given, but according to the Ombudsman, referring the victim to support services did not seem to have been fully in accordance with the law and the guidelines issued at the police services.

Shortcomings also in the handling of the administrative complaint

The Ombudsman also criticises the way Helsinki Police Department handled the administrative complaint filed on the matter. The decision on the complaint had not been justified in the manner required under the Administrative Procedure Act, as it did not indicate the applied provisions or take a stand on the appropriateness of the police officer’s conduct, among other things.

The complainant had also felt that the police treated them in a discriminatory manner because of their gender identity. However, according to the Ombudsman, the available report did not reveal discrimination or inappropriate behaviour that would have given rise to oversight of legality measures. The Ombudsman still emphasises the need to encounter vulnerable persons sensitively so that sensitive offences can also be reported in a safe and accepting atmosphere.

The Ombudsman drew attention to the obligation to register a report of an offence, the identification of domestic violence, the referral of victims to services providing help, and appropriate justifications for a decision issued on an administrative complaint. The Ombudsman also brought his views to the attention of Helsinki Police Department.

Because of the sensitive nature of the matter, the decision will not be published in its entirety on the Ombudsman’s website.

Further information is available from Senior Legal Adviser Anu Lempiäinen, tel. +358 9 432 3369.

10 de noviembre de 2026

El Defensor del Pueblo de Navarra-Nafarroako Arartekoa, Patxi Vera, ha mantenido un encuentro con la presidenta de Navarra, María Chivite, para abordar la actual situación del acceso a la vivienda en la Comunidad foral.  En concreto, durante la reunión el Defensor le ha informado a la Presidenta de las conclusiones surgidas tras las XXXIX Jornadas de Coordinación de Defensorías del Pueblo ‘Abriendo las puertas al futuro de la vivienda’, celebradas el pasado mes de octubre en La Palma y que recoge un decálogo que contribuirá a promover medidas que garanticen “el derecho de la ciudadanía al disfrute de una vivienda digna y adecuada”. 

Se trata de las medidas tratadas en las jornadas en las que participaron el Defensor del Pueblo Español, Ángel Gabilondo, y los defensores y defensoras de las diferentes Comunidades Autónomas para abordar precisamente la problemática del acceso a la vivienda. 

Recomendaciones 

En las conclusiones de su estudio, las diferentes Defensorías destacan la importancia de incrementar el parque de vivienda social y protegida hasta alcanzar como mínimo los estándares europeos, a través de planes de vivienda de alcance tanto estatal como autonómico y local. Asimismo, recomendaban impulsar estudios sobre las características de la demanda de vivienda, para que las viviendas que integren el parque público se adecúen a las necesidades de la ciudadanía.

También remarcaron los Defensores la necesidad de que las administraciones redoblen sus esfuerzos en la creación y gestión de ayudas al alquiler de vivienda, tanto a través de unos fondos públicos suficientes para atender a la demanda ciudadana, como mediante una revisión de los topes máximos de renta de alquiler fijados por las administraciones para poder resultar beneficiario de la ayuda, especialmente en el caso de las personas jóvenes. 

Se hace especial hincapié también en la regulación y la limitación del alquiler turístico mediante técnicas urbanísticas como la sujeción a licencia previa o la limitación del número de viviendas destinadas a este uso en función del número de habitantes y viviendas del municipio, entre otras propuestas. 

Consulte el decálogo íntegro.