For EU citizens, municipal elections along with those for the European Parliament are the only ones in which they can vote in the country. In the past, however, Czech law did not grant them this right.

The Public Defender of Rights has been pointing out the limitations of EU citizens' right to vote, which is directly guaranteed by EU law, since 2014. The administrative courts upheld the Ombudsman's arguments. Since 2014, the Ministry of the Interior has allowed EU citizens to vote at least through its methodological instruction. A systemic change was granted by the amendment to the electoral law in March 2019, under which EU citizens are going to municipal elections for the first time this year.

Voters from other EU countries must apply to the municipal authority in their place of registered residence to be added to the permanent electoral roll. In addition to their citizenship, they must prove that they hold a certificate of temporary residence or a permanent residence permit in the Czech Republic and that they are registered to reside in the municipality.

The voter must apply for this entry in the supplement to the permanent voters' list no later than two days before election day (i.e. no later than Wednesday September 21st) by 16.00.

EU legislation also guarantees EU citizens with temporary or permanent residence the passive suffrage (i.e. the right to stand as a candidate) in municipal elections. However, Czech law continues to restrict this right by allowing EU citizens to stand only as non-party (independent) candidates, but not as members of political parties or political movements. In practice, this significantly reduces their chances of success.

The Ombudsman has also long drawn attention to this problém. According to the Act on Association in Political Parties and Political Movements, only citizens of the Czech Republic can be members of political parties and political movements. "I consider this to be contrary to EU law. My argumentation in this matter found support in the opinion of the European Commission, which on 9 June 2021, after several years of preliminary proceedings, decided to bring an action against the Czech Republic before the EU Court of Justice," the Ombudsman recalled in a recent letter to the Minister of the Interior.

Le harcèlement est un drame pour de nombreux enfants. Il conduit certain.es aux pires extrémités. Les actualités du Délégué général ne pouvaient donc pas éviter de les aborder en cette période de rentrée scolaire. Depuis mars 2013, l’institution du Délégué général s’est associée à un groupe de professionnels de différents horizons qui se réunissent pour partager informations, pratiques et réflexions autour des problèmes de harcèlement à l’école. De ces contacts est né le « Réseau prévention harcèlement » qui vise à favoriser les contacts entre intervenants de différents secteurs (enseignement, jeunesse, égalité des chances, promotion de la sante, aide à la jeunesse,…). Le travail du groupe a permis de publier une brochure de sensibilisation et de prévention qui est accessible gratuitement en suivant ce lien.

Lorsque le harcèlement est initié par un.e adulte qui exerce une autorité sur un jeune, le tableau est encore plus inquiétant. Parce que la loi du silence s’impose. Et que les faits paraissent tellement incroyables aux yeux des collègues de l’adulte harceleur, que c’est souvent la bonne foi de l’enfant qui est mise en cause lorsqu’il ou elle se confie. Le réseau a donc aussi décidé de créer un outil qui permet d’affronter cette réalité particulière et qui est également accessible gratuitement en suivant ce lien.

Le lien vers la vidéo.

20/09/2022 Lien vers l’article originel

Today, on 20 September 2022, the National Assembly's Committee on Education, Science, Sports and Youth, as the interested working body, considered the 27th regular annual report of the Ombudsman for 2021 in the part related to the competences of the Committee.

“Last year, we dealt with 243 education-related initiatives, an increase of more than 100% compared to 2020, and there was an increase of almost 50% in calls related to COVID-19. We received many questions about wearing masks and testing students and pupils for COVID-19 at schools. We have also dealt with petitions from parents who disagreed with the self-testing of their children at schools, and whose children consequently took part in distance schooling,” the Ombudsman said in his introduction.

Last year, the Ombudsman dealt with a third more cases than in previous years, finding 276 violations of rights and other irregularities. “In this demanding as well as sensitive year, I was in regular contact with the responsible institutions from various branches of power, recalling the importance of respecting international and constitutional human rights standards even during the epidemic. It is imperative that human rights are accessible to everyone and that individuals have adequate mechanisms and remedies to remedy violations,” said Ombudsman Svetina.

Last year, the National Preventive Mechanism, which operates within the Human Rights Ombudsman institution, visited 10 specialist centres for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems and disorders, alongside other institutions, and made 23 recommendations. “On the basis of these visits, we have, for example, reiterated our recommendation to the competent ministry to take an active approach, in cooperation with other competent ministries, in order to address the problem of the use of and dependence on psychoactive substances or other addictions among children and adolescents in these centres by promptly adopting appropriate protocols of conduct and providing such centres with all the necessary assistance,” the Ombudsman pointed out.

During the winter months, in-person classes were again replaced by distance teaching. From the very beginning, the Ombudsman warned that all pupils and students are far from having equal opportunities to learn. “In general, we also observed that the measures envisaged to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease may have a major adverse impact on socially excluded vulnerable groups. Given the expected increase in coronavirus infections after the start of the school year, I hope that the solutions put in place to manage the spread of the pandemic are well thought out and professionally sound. It is important that decision-makers do not repeat mistakes and that their work respects the decisions of the Constitutional Court and the views of the profession,” said the Ombudsman.

In recent years, the Ombudsman has noticed an increase in peer violence among children at schools, including children of different ethnic backgrounds. “All children have the right to a safe and supportive environment at school. The implementation of rights in schools is the responsibility of school professionals, especially head teachers, who have a duty to ensure that all children feel safe at school and that no one is subjected to bullying, insulting, verbal or even physical violence from their classmates. In the case of peer violence, parents can also contact the Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia for Education and Sport, which is obliged to deal with such reports as a matter of priority and to verify the actual situation and the measures taken by schools to protect all pupils,” Svetina explained.

At the Committee meeting, Ombudsman Peter Svetina called on the competent Ministry to amend the Regulation on Tuition Fees and Other Contributions in Higher Education so that higher education institutions are obliged to inform students at the time of enrolment of at least an indicative amount of tuition fees until the end of their full-time education. “It is unacceptable that this recommendation has yet to be implemented after two years, and I expect it to happen as soon as possible. The implementation of the Ombudsman's previous recommendations is urgently needed to raise the level of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Slovenia,” concluded the Ombudsman.

El Defensor del Pueblo andaluz, Jesús Maeztu, ha mantenido hoy una sesión de trabajo con responsables de Endesa para analizar la problemática de los cortes de luz en distintos barrios de Andalucía. El Defensor del Pueblo andaluz está realizando un seguimiento de los casos con el objetivo de paliar las consecuencias que producen estos fallos en el suministro, que afectan a colectivos vulnerables, entre ellos, a la infancia y la adolescencia.

Jesús Maeztu ha expresado al director general de Endesa en Andalucía y Extremadura, Rafael Sánchez Durán, su preocupación por los continuos cortes de luz en algunas barriadas, ocasionando perjuicios a los consumidores. "Es una necesidad garantizar el suministro de luz a las personas que están pagando su contrato", ha reclamado a Endesa, a quien ha solicitado que cumpla con su parte en coordinación con otras administraciones implicadas en cuanto a inversiones e infraestructuras.

Ambas partes han coincidido en la necesidad de una actuación coordinada de todas las administraciones implicadas, junto con la empresa distribuidora, para adoptar medidas que resuelvan definitivamente el problema y garanticen el suministro eléctrico a todas las personas.

Endesa ha mostrado al Defensor su voluntad de ofrecer información sobre estos cortes de luz y ha mostrado su disposición a encontrar soluciones para resolver estos problemas. La compañía ha señalado que está reforzando la red de distribución con nuevas inversiones, sobre todo en los barrios con mayores incidencias en la calidad de suministro, sin que en los mismos se haya experimentado un crecimiento de clientes o potencia contratada.

The deadline for in-person participation is 23 September, 1pm. The deadline for remote participation is 6 October, 1pm.

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