publié le: 19/10/2021

“Implementing the recommendations of the public inquiry report which found that the state must bear responsibility for Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination should be a top priority for the government”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, following a visit to Malta from 11 to 16 October.

“The authorities should swiftly start putting in place the far-reaching reforms needed to ensure journalists’ safety and address mistrust in the media in Malta. This should begin with a co-ordinated response to threats and harassment against journalists, including online, in order to provide adequate protection measures. Enhanced awareness-raising among the police and dialogue between law enforcement and media professionals are vital in this respect”, she added. In addition, this should be strengthened by a proper implementation of the Freedom of Information Act to ensure that journalists have access to accurate and timely information.  

Recent initiatives to address the problems arising from the use of vexatious lawsuits, commonly known as SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation), are encouraging. The Commissioner reiterated her previous recommendations to the Maltese authorities to ensure that relevant legislation is adopted without delay.

Concerning the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, the Commissioner stressed that the human rights of those in distress at sea should never be put at risk.  Particularly, the authorities should ensure that their actions do not lead, either directly or indirectly, to returns to Libya, which is not a safe place for disembarkation.

The Commissioner visited the Safi Detention Centre and two open centres in Hal Far, where she discussed with representatives of the responsible authorities and with a number of asylum seekers and migrants. While noting the recent efforts made to improve living conditions in these centres, the Commissioner was struck by the deplorable situation in Block A in the Safi Detention Centre. She strongly urged the authorities to take immediate action to ensure dignified conditions for all those currently held there.

Although the number of those detained, including children, was significantly reduced recently, the Commissioner observed that uncertainties remain about the legal grounds and the safeguards related to some detention measures. “I call on the authorities to focus on investing in alternatives to detention and to ensure that no children or vulnerable persons are detained.” The Commissioner also stressed the need to ensure independent monitoring of places of detention as well as unhindered access for NGOs to provide support and assistance to those detained.

Regarding women’s rights, the Commissioner called on the Maltese authorities to step up measures to enhance equality between women and men. “In order to improve gender equality, the authorities must put in place comprehensive measures to overcome prejudices and traditional and all other practices based on the idea of the inferiority of women or on stereotyped roles for men and women. Awareness-raising among the general population and the introduction of mandatory comprehensive sexuality education are key”.

Noting that Malta’s legislation, which provides for a total ban on abortions, remains one of the most restrictive among Council of Europe member states, the Commissioner called on the authorities to urgently repeal provisions criminalising abortion and ensure all women’s access to sexual and reproductive health care, including safe and legal abortion care. She welcomed the developing debate on this issue but stressed that “the fact that abortion is still criminalised and stigmatised not only puts Maltese women’s health at risk, but also affects their equal enjoyment of other human rights”.

Lastly, the Commissioner welcomed the recent adoption of a bill aimed at achieving gender balance in Parliament and encouraged the authorities to take further steps to advance women’s representation in leadership roles and in decision-making positions in political bodies at all levels.

During her visit the Commissioner met with the Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health, Christopher Fearne, the Minister for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement, Byron Camilleri, the Minister for Equality, Research, Innovation and the Co-ordination of the post-COVID-19 Strategy, Owen Bonnici, the Minister for Justice and Governance, Edward Zammit Lewis, the Attorney General, Victoria Buttigieg, the Ombudsman of Malta, Anthony C. Mifsud, representatives of national human rights structures, as well as with members of civil society, media organisations and international counterparts.

The Commissioner’s report on her visit is upcoming.

Ombudsman Peter Svetina and Deputy Ombudsman Miha Horvat attended a virtual meeting with representatives of the Council of Europe's Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, who are currently visiting Slovenia. The Advisory Committee is preparing its fifth periodic report on the situation regarding the implementation of the Convention’s rights in Slovenia. It will make recommendations for improvements to Slovenia based on its findings on the situation and actions taken so far in this area.

Deputy Ombudsman Miha Horvat briefed the representatives of the Committee on the observations of the Ombudsman institution. These are based on the consideration of complaints from individuals who have written to the Ombudsman alleging that their human rights have been violated according to their own analyses of individual issues and field visits. The representatives of the Committee were also interested in the Ombudsman's assessment of the situation of national communities, which are not mentioned in the Slovenian Constitution.

The Ombudsman is also preparing a special report for the Advisory Committee on certain shortcomings in the implementation of the human rights of minorities and ethnic communities.

Se trata de una actuación de oficio donde se ha requerido la colaboración de 60 Ayuntamientos de la Comunidad de más de 5.000 habitantes.

De los 36 Ayuntamientos que cuentan con una regulación específica sobre terrazas de hostelería, 23 disponen de ordenanzas en las que también se regulan las características que deben tener las estufas y calefactores, cuatro Ayuntamientos simplemente los mencionan como un elemento más de las terrazas, sin realizar ninguna precisión, y dos Ayuntamientos los han regulado mediante sendos Decretos de la Alcaldía.

La creciente ocupación del dominio público mediante la instalación de terrazas de hostelería, motivada entre otras razones por la situación generada por la pandemia de Covid-19, y, sobre todo, la extensión temporal de las autorizaciones concedidas a bares y restaurantes, más allá de los tradicionales meses de verano, ha traído consigo un incremento de la ubicación en las mismas de estufas y elementos calefactores para posibilitar que su  utilización sea más confortable durante los meses en que predominan las bajas temperaturas.

 Por esta razón y atendiendo, por un lado, a la previsible demanda social de uso de los espacios exteriores a los negocios de hostelería en la época de bajas temperaturas a que nos vamos acercando y, por otro, a la necesidad de garantizar la seguridad de las instalaciones que hayan de situarse en la vía pública, unido al exigible deber de la  administración municipal de actuar con sometimiento al principio de legalidad y preservando la seguridad de todos los administrados, el Procurador del Común ha promovido esta actuación de oficio en un intento de conocer la situación y la regulación con la que cuentan las entidades locales de mayor tamaño de nuestro ámbito territorial en relación con la ubicación de estos elementos calefactores en las terrazas.

A esos efectos, ha solicitado información a todos los municipios de nuestra Comunidad de más de 5.000 habitantes, en total 60 Ayuntamientos. Conforme a la información facilitada, se pudo advertir que de los 36 Ayuntamientos que cuentan con una regulación específica de las terrazas de hostelería, en 23 ordenanzas se contiene una regulación bastante detallada sobre las características que deben tener estos aparatos; en 4 ordenanzas, en cambio, solo los mencionan como un elemento más de la terraza, sin mayores precisiones, y otros 2 Ayuntamientos los regulan mediante sendos Decretos de la Alcaldía.

Otros 17 Ayuntamientos abordan la cuestión en las correspondientes ordenanzas fiscales, por lo tanto desde un punto de vista tributario; 4 de las correspondientes ordenanzas fiscales incluyen, además, consideraciones respecto a su instalación y características técnicas. También algún Ayuntamiento ha emitido un bando específico para atender las cuestiones relacionadas con la situación de estos elementos en la vía pública, circunscrito temporalmente a la duración y/o vigencia de las normas para hacer frente a la pandemia

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Am 19.10. stattete Volksanwalt Walter Rosenkranz der Ersten Präsidentin des burgenländischen Landtags Verena Dunst anlässlich seines Sprechtags in Eisenstadt einen Besuch ab. Nicht nur aufgrund ihrer persönlichen Erfahrung in der politischen Arbeit im Bereich des Konsumentenschutzes zeigte sich Dunst an der Arbeit der Volksanwaltschaft sehr interessiert. Es stellte sich außerdem heraus, dass sie eine regelmäßige Seherin des „Bürgeranwalt“ ist.

Als Gastgeschenk überreichte sie Rosenkranz eine Kostprobe des burgenlandspezifischen „Uhudler“ aus der Jubiläumsedition aus Anlass des 100jährigen Jubiläums der Landesgründung und Zugehörigkeit zu Österreich.