Link: Lorry, motor coach and bus drivers who, during an inspection, do not produce the record sheets for the tachograph relating to the current day and the previous 28 days are subject to a single penalty, irrespective of the number of missing record sheets (europa.eu)

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Court of Justice of the European Union

PRESS RELEASE No 45/21

Luxembourg, 24 March 2021

Judgment in Joined Cases C-870/19 and C-871/19

Prefettura Ufficio territoriale del governo di Firenze v MI and TB

Lorry, motor coach and bus drivers who, during an inspection, do not produce the record sheets for the tachograph relating to the current day and the previous 28 days are subject to a single penalty, irrespective of the number of missing record sheets

The principle that offences and penalties must be defined by law, in accordance with which citizens must be in a position to ascertain what conduct will make them criminally liable and the penalties which that conduct attracts, applies to this field

In 2013, during two roadside inspections carried out in Italy, the Italian authorities established that MI (Case C-870/19) and TB (Case C-871/19), as drivers of road transport vehicles (lorries, motor coaches and buses), were not able to produce the record sheets of the tachograph installed in their vehicles relating to the current day and several of the previous 28 days. Those authorities therefore imposed a number of administrative penalties on MI and TB for a number of infringements.

MI and TB brought actions before the Italian courts against those penalties. 

(...)

Der Bürgerbeauftragte des Freistaats Thüringen, Dr. Kurt Herzberg, hat heute seinen Tätigkeitsbericht für das Jahr 2020 im Rahmen einer digitalen Pressekonferenz an die Präsidentin des Thüringer Landtags, Birgit Keller, übergeben. Der Bericht gibt Auskunft über Fallzahlen und Ergebnisse, stellt Einzelfälle bespielhaft vor und informiert über die Arbeit des Bürgerbeauftragten.

Auch für den Bürgerbeauftragten spielte die Corona-Pandemie im Berichtsjahr eine wichtige Rolle. Fast jeder elfte Fall hatte einen inhaltlichen Bezug zu den Regelungen zur Eindämmung des Infektionsgeschehens.

„Die drastischen Einschränkungen, die im vergangenen Jahr verordnet wurden, haben das Vertrauen der Menschen in die Politik nachhaltig auf die Probe gestellt“, so Herzberg. „Welche Auswirkungen diese Bewährungsprobe für den demokratischen Rechtsstaat hat, ist derzeit noch nicht absehbar“. Er appellierte daher an die politischen Entscheidungsträger, deutlich mehr als bisher mit den Menschen in den Dialog zu treten. Herzberg weiter: „Dialog heißt Hören und Gehörtwerden, Entscheidungen erklären, Kritik üben und auch Kritik aushalten. Dialog gelingt aber nur, wenn das Gegenüber respektiert wird und die Erwartungen aneinander nicht unrealistisch überhöht sind.“ Es sei seine langjährige Erfahrung, dass sich die Akzeptanz von Demokratie und der gesellschaftliche Zusammenhalt verbessern würden, wenn sich die Betroffenen wahr- und ernstgenommen fühlten. Dabei gehe es nicht nur

um Versachlichung und Aufzeigen falscher Erwartungen, sondern auch um klare Benennung von Fehlern und deren Korrektur.

Herzberg: „Dialog immunisiert auch vor dem Virus der Absolutsetzung von Einzelinteressen und kräftigt die Akzeptanz von Politik und Verwaltungshandeln. Allerdings: Corona hat auch eindrücklich gezeigt, dass die Akzeptanz der politischen Entscheidungen immer auch davon abhängt, wie deren verwaltungsmäßige Umsetzung konkret erlebt wird.“ In seinem Tätigkeitsbericht für 2020 informiert der Bürgerbeauftragte darüber, dass er in 779 Fällen um Unterstützung gebeten wurde. Wegen 16 pandemiebedingt ausgefallener Sprechtage seien dies 90 Anliegen weniger als im Vorjahr. Mit rund 60 Prozent war der Anteil der mündlich vorgetragenen Anliegen dennoch hoch, überwiegend nahm das Team des Bürgerbeauftragten die Anliegen telefonisch auf, nur rund 30 Prozent der mündlich vorgetragenen Anliegen konnten bei einem Sprechtag vorgebracht werden. Inhaltlich bildeten soziale Angelegenheiten mit rund 30 Prozent weiterhin den größten Anteil der Fälle. Häufig ging es hierbei um Fragen zum Thema Gesundheit, Anerkennung von Erwerbsunfähigkeit und Behinderung sowie um Auseinandersetzungen mit den Krankenkassen. Fragen zur Grundsicherung und Rente machen rund die Hälfte der Anliegen aus dem Bereich Soziales aus. Auf den Bereich Soziales folgen Ordnungsrecht, Inneres und Verwaltung mit rund 20 Prozent sowie Bauen, Infrastruktur und Umwelt mit rund 17 Prozent der 2020 eingegangenen Anliegen.

803 Anliegen konnten 2020 abgeschlossen werden. Bei jedem fünften Fall konnte der Bürgerbeauftragte das Problem im Sinne des Bürgers lösen. Bei rund der Hälfte der Anliegen genügte den Bürgerinnen und Bürgern eine Information oder die verständliche Erläuterung der Rechtslage. Dazu Herzberg: „Wenn Bescheide mehrere Seiten lang sind und darin jeder Satz auf einen Paragraphen verweist, trägt das nicht gerade zur Akzeptanz des Verwaltungshandelns bei – auch wenn der Inhalt rechtlich nicht zu beanstanden ist. Die Verständlichkeit der Behördensprache bleibt ein Dauerbrenner.“ Rund 15 Prozent der Anliegen wurden direkt an die zuständige Stelle weitergeleitet bzw. den Bürgern wurde erläutert, an wen sie sich wenden können.

Der Jahresbericht informiert über ausgewählte Fallbeispiele ebenso wie über Gespräche und Konferenzen, an denen der Bürgerbeauftragte im vergangenen Jahr teilgenommen hat. Außerdem werden Problemfelder benannt, die Herzberg gegenüber dem Petitionsausschuss und anderen politischen Akteuren thematisiert hat. „Das Aufzeigen der Themen, bei denen politisches Handeln notwendig ist, sehe ich auch als eine meiner Aufgaben“, so Herzberg.

Water is essential for our survival, and therefore the way we define and ensure access to it is of vital importance. As it is clear that the quantity of drinking water is limited in every part of the world, water has become an important economic good. In addition, the idea of water becoming a tradable good instead of a public one is increasingly gaining momentum.

Water is all the more important in that clean drinking water is a human right. The key foundation for the development of this right was provided by the Resolution of the UN General Assembly on the human right to water and sanitation adopted in 2010. However, merely adopting a resolution does not guarantee access to water for all. This requires the further adoption and active implementation of appropriate legislation by individual countries.

Slovenia enshrined the right to drinking water in its constitution in 2016 by introducing Article 70a, thus expressly recognising the human right to drinking water. Prior to that, the aforementioned right could be derived from the constitutional rights to life, dignity and healthy living environment and from certain international treaties which directly apply in Slovenia, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

"We expected that amending the constitution would only provide the foundation for the more consistent implementation of the human right to clean drinking water and encourage the competent authorities to introduce the necessary legislative changes. Unfortunately, the declaratory entry in the constitution as the highest legal act has not achieved the desired effect in raising awareness about the importance of drinking water and the necessary amendments to legislation and implementing regulations. We cannot be satisfied with the mere inclusion of the right to drinking water in the constitution, as it is urgent to immediately adopt all the necessary legislation with the aim of protecting this right, although the deadline for such adoption already expired in May 2018 and the Ombudsman has warned the competent authorities of this many times," reiterates Ombudsman Svetina.

Slovenia is among the richest countries in Europe in terms of the abundance of water sources, which requires particularly sound water management. We are all committed to preserving clean and safe drinking water; however, the ultimate responsibility to conserve water sources rests with policy and decision makers. "Amendments to the Waters Act and other environmental legislation must be adopted deliberately, in a sustainably oriented manner, taking into account expert opinions and in dialog with all stakeholders. Any rash solutions could quickly lead us in the opposite direction and threaten our drinking water supply, thus causing us to move away from the recognised human right to clean drinking water," Ombudsman Peter Svetina warns the competent authorities.

Ultimately, we are also bound to cautious treatment of water by the Agenda 2030 (Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), which is binding for all 193 UN member states. Member states unanimously adopted the Agenda 2030 and expressed their commitment to taking action against water shortage and pollution and to improving water quality by 2030 through the reduction of pollution.

"This is about people, their rights and their lives. The constitution and international Acts require decision makers to act responsibly. Let today's World Water Day be a reminder to all competent authorities that water is our most valuable good, which requires us to adopt the most responsible solutions possible to protect water sources and contribute to the quality of drinking water. Water is not to be taken for granted, as it is not available in unlimited quantities, and the human right to clean drinking water could very quickly come under threat," Ombudsman Peter Svetina recalls on the occasion of World Water Day.

Ganja and Guba regional centers of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan held online legal awareness-raising events on domestic violence and early marriages.

An online legal awareness-raising event on "Combating Domestic Violence" was organized by Ganja Regional Center of the Ombudsman and the Heydar Aliyev Center of Shamkir district, with the participation of representatives of the Youth and Sports Department, Youth Development and Career Center, active youth.

The head of Ganja Regional Center Sabuhi Abbasov greeted the participants on behalf of the Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva and congratulated them on Novruz holiday. S.Abbasov noted that the Azerbaijani Ombudsman Institution regularly conducts awareness-raising activities in order to draw the attention of the public to the fight against gender-based violence and domestic violence. He has noted that every year, with the participation of various groups of the population, joint events are organized with central and local government agencies on this issue, and various awareness-raising events and activities are carried out.

It was noted that the "National Action Plan to Combat Domestic Violence in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2020-2023" approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated November 27, 2020, assumes high importance to achieve the goal of preventing domestic violence.

Speaking at the event, the other participants noted the importance of awareness-raising in the fight against domestic violence, and stressed the effectiveness of further continuing the activities in this direction.

The Ombudsman's Guba Regional Center together with the Guba branch of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations (SCWRA) organized a webinar on "The problem of early marriage, domestic violence and ways to combat it."

The event was attended by the head of the Guba Regional Center of the Ombudsman, the Guba branch of the SCWRA, the deputy heads of the executive authorities of Gusar and Khachmaz districts, and other representatives of local governmental bodies, war veterans and active youth.

Speaking at the video conference, Bahruz Efendiyev, the head of the Ombudsman's Guba Regional Center, conveyed the Ombudsman's congratulations to the participants on the occasion of Novruz holiday.

He spoke about the fact that early marriages are an integral part of domestic violence, also about the legal, psychological and medical consequences of such marriages, and gave detailed information about the activities of the Ombudsman in the fight against domestic violence.
Later, other speakers continued discussions on the topic.

Il nuovo ufficio è stato presentato questa mattina durante una conferenza stampa a palazzo Aldobrandeschi. Vannini: “Con oggi sono otto gli sportelli decentrati del Difensore civico in Toscana”; Mazzeo: “E’ compito di ogni istituzione riportare la politica all’altezza degli occhi dei cittadini”; Vivarelli Colonna: “L’ufficio protocollo della Provincia diventa punto di raccolta delle istanze dei maremmani”

di Paola Scuffi, 19 marzo 2021

“Con oggi sono otto gli sportelli decentrati del Difensore civico in Toscana. Lo sportello presso la Provincia di Grosseto permetterà ai cittadini del territorio, specialmente a quelli piùanziani, di poter inoltrare in maniera piùsemplice le istanze al Difensore regionale, recandosi all’ufficio Protocollo della Provincia, che saràpunto di prima accoglienza per la presentazione delle vertenze”. Cosìha esordito Sandro Vannini, Difensore civico della Toscana, dando il viaalla conferenza stampa a palazzo Aldobrandeschi, per annunciare l’apertura del nuovo sportello della Difesa civica dedicato ai maremmani. Come ricordato dal Difensore: “Siamo partiti un anno e mezzo fa, con il primo sportello decentrato a Pistoia, ed oggi siamo all’ottavo, per continuare il nostro ruolo di mediatori, conciliatori e risolutori di problemi, sempre accanto ai cittadini”.
 
Basti un dato: le istanze presentate al Difensore civico regionale nel 2020 sono state 2560, di cui il 10 per cento provenienti proprio da Grosseto. Numeri importanti, tanto piùin un periodo difficile come quello che stiamo vivendo, legato all’emergenza Covid; sul fronte della sanità, Vannini ha ricordato che il Difensore civico della Toscana èl’unico in Italia che attenziona la responsabilitàtecnico-professionale in ambito sanitario, con 2167 casi di approfondimento dal 1991 ad oggi. Infine, in Toscana sono state istituite anche le commissioni miste conciliative, nelle aziende ospedaliere e nelle Asl.
 
Un percorso apprezzato e incoraggiato dal presidente del Consiglio regionale, Antonio Mazzeo, che ha ringraziato per l’impegno il Difensore civico, insieme alla struttura, e per la sensibilitàdimostrata il presidente della Provincia e Sindaco di Grosseto, Antonfrancesco Vivarelli Colonna. “Ruolo centrale della Difesa civica regionale èla diffusione sul territorio, in linea con l’Assemblea toscana, chiamata ad aprire porte e finestre per andare incontro a tutti –ha sottolineato –E’compito di ogni istituzione riportare la politica all’altezza degli occhi dei cittadini”.

Ed èproprio in tale contesto che si inserisce lo sportello aperto a Grosseto. “Con grande soddisfazione oggi inauguriamo questo nuovo servizio al cittadino presso la Provincia di Grosseto –ha affermato il presidente di palazzo Aldobrandeschi, Antonfrancesco Vivarelli Colonna –utile per tutti coloro che, trovandosi in una situazione di ‘parte debole’con gli enti pubblici o con le società che gestiscono servizi pubblici, hanno adesso la possibilitàdi inoltrare le istanze non solo per via telematica, ma anche direttamente presso lo sportello di piazza Dante. I principi tutelati sono quelli del buon andamento, dell’imparzialità, della trasparenza, della semplificazione e dell’equitàdell’operato amministrativo. Si tratta di un modo per essere piùvicini ai cittadini, con un vero e proprio servizio di prossimitàche facilita l’accesso alla difesa civica regionale. Il personale, infatti, aiuterài soggetti interessati a presentare la documentazione necessaria in maniera corretta e a metterli in contatto con l’ufficio regionale, consentendo quindi l’esercizio dei loro diritti. Un traguardo importante che facilita e migliora il rapporto tra le persone e le istituzioni, favorendo democrazia e partecipazione. Il nostro obiettivo èquello di garantire un accesso agevole ai servizi di tutela di competenza del difensore civico regionale attraverso l’ufficio protocollo della Provincia, che diventa pertanto il punto di raccolta delle istanze dei maremmani. Grazie al difensore civico Sandro Vannini per la disponibilitàe l’impegno che ha messo nell’attuare questo importante progetto e per l’attenzione verso il nostro territorio”.
 
La conferenza stampa si èquindi conclusa con i ringraziamenti di Vannini, rivolti all’amministrazione provinciale e al suo presidente, e con la firma della convenzione tra Difensore e Provincia, per l’apertura del nuovo sportello. Particolarmente apprezzato anche dal direttore Coeso di Grosseto, Fabrizio Boldrini, che, collegato da remoto, ha sottolineato come “tale iniziativa di vicinanza sia fondamentale per favorire percorsi di conciliazione”.