In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Ireland, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, published today, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović raises concerns about the challenges faced by international protection applicants with respect to adequate reception and accommodation in Ireland.

Due to a severe lack of available accommodation, over 900 international protection applicants have been left in a situation of street homelessness over recent months, while families with children are often housed for extended periods in inadequate and overcrowded transit conditions. The situation, which occurs against the background of a broader housing crisis in Ireland, may contribute to a nascent anti-refugee sentiment across the country which has led to several worrying incidents.

In this context, the Commissioner calls on the authorities to comprehensively review and address the structural shortcomings of the international protection system and to develop a sustainable approach towards the accommodation of refugees and asylum seekers within the broader housing policy. “The scale and complexity of the prevailing reception crisis calls for a whole-of-government approach”, she writes.

• Read the Commissioner’s letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Ireland, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage
  • Read the reply from Mr Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach, Prime Minister of Ireland

Nel 2022 il Difensore civico della Regione Emilia-Romagna, l’istituto di garanzia che si occupa di garantire i diritti dei cittadini, ha ricevuto 762 segnalazioni da parte di cittadini.

Dopo l’inevitabile periodo di rallentamento dovuto agli anni della pandemia, il 2022 è stato l’anno di ritorno a pieno regime: anzi, con le 762 segnalazioni ricevute il Difensore civico ha registrato il suo anno di maggior attività. Basti pensare che nel 2021 le segnalazioni erano state 690.

I dati sono stati illustrati da Carlotta Marù, Difensore civico regionale, nel corso della commissione Parità e diritti presieduta da Federico Alessandro Amico.

Delle 762 segnalazioni pervenute, 242 lo sono state “per conoscenza”,  98 sono state rigettate in fase istruttoria, mentre 442 sono state oggetto di attività del Difensore civico. Di queste, 375 sono state concluse e portate a compimento negli scorsi 12 mesi (scarica la Relazione delle attività svolte nel 2022).

Di particolare interesse la ripartizione per temi delle istanze. Spiccano i ricorsi per le diverse tipologie di accesso agli atti: materia che si conferma essere la più trattata anche nel 2022 con un aumento rispetto allo scorso anno di ben 16 istanze (+20% circa). Sempre numerose le istanze in materia di sanità, che passano da 58 a 55, e le istanze concernenti il “silenzio della PA”. In particolare, queste ultime sono passate da 36 a 48, con un incremento di circa il 25%. Anche quest’anno, riguardano mancate risposte a richieste dei cittadini o il mancato avvio di procedimenti.

In crescita, dopo un calo registrato nel 2021, risultano le istanze concernenti i tributi e le sanzioni, che passano da 23 a 35. Confermano l’aumento già registrato negli anni precedenti le istanze inerenti mobilità e trasporti, che passano da 27 a 28, e le istanze relative a problemi legati a lavoro, concorsi e scuola, passate da 15 a 19. In aumento anche le istanze concernenti la materia ambiente, che passano da 11 a 14, e servizi di rete, da 16 a 18. Si registra, invece, una diminuzione per le istanze relative a welfare, che passano da 21 a 15, edilizia e urbanistica, che passano da 18 a 13, e attività produttive, da 7 a 5. Le istanze concernenti la disabilità restano invariate a 6. Le domande riguardanti previdenza e pensioni registrano un importante incremento, passando da 11 a 20 (+45%). Grazie all’accordo con INPS, l’Ufficio riesce comunque nella maggiore parte dei casi a trovare risposta in tempi certi e rapidi.

La distribuzione territoriale dei segnalanti e delle pubbliche amministrazioni controparti continua a registrare un importante aumento nella provincia di Bologna, ma, proporzionalmente all’aumento delle istanze, anche nelle altre province. Unica eccezione è la provincia di Forlì-Cesena, per la quale le istanze sono in diminuzione (passando da 28 a 21) e la provincia di Ravenna, in cui sono passate da 31 a 30. Le istanze ricevute dai del territorio bolognese sono passate da 141 a 159, quelle nella provincia di Ferrara da 23 a 34, per la provincia di Modena si passa da 21 a 26, Piacenza da 12 a 18, la provincia di Parma registra un incremento da 25 a 37, Reggio Emilia è in aumento passando da 21 a 27 mentre Rimini rimane assestata sulle 18 istanze. Le istanze dei cittadini che si sono rivolti al Difensore civico dell’Emilia- Romagna ma che sono residenti fuori dal territorio regionale, sono passate da 23 a 44.

“Abbiamo illustrato i dati relativi all’anno più produttivo della Difesa civica: finalmente, dopo la vicenda Covid, siamo potuti tornare fra i cittadini. Il nostro lavoro vive del rapporto diretto con le persone”, spiega Carlotta Marù, che ricorda anche l’importanza degli accordi operativi istituti con Anci e Università e dei convegni e seminari svolti dal Difensore civico.

At the invitation of the Kosovo Ombudsman Naim Qelaj, the Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina is participating at the meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM) in Priština, Kosovo. This year, the main topics are the significance of integrity and the independence of national institutions for human rights. Meetings of the Governing Board and the Association’s General Assembly are being held in parallel with the AOM meeting; the latter also discussed and, with unanimous agreement, supported the proposal of the AOM President Dr Andreas Pottakis to appoint Ombudsman Svetina, who was previously a member of the Governing Board, to the position of Vice-President of the AOM. The organisation brings together more than 30 countries in the region with various competences in relation to authority bodies, yet with a common goal – to effectively protect and promote human rights in the Mediterranean, while actively cooperating and exchanging experience.

Upon his election as AOM Vice-President, Ombudsman Svetina thanked his colleagues for their trust. “This is a great honour and acknowledgement for the work done to date and the engagement not only with me but the entire team of the Slovenian Human Rights Ombudsman, which is a valued partner and a sought-after collocutor in the international environment. Initiatives of foreign partners for our wider engagement internationally, where we not only present our work but are also in the spotlight as an example of best practice, indicate that we do good work,” believes Svetina. As he said, in his role as AOM Vice-President he will strive for the strengthening of cooperation not only with the Association’s member states but also other regional and states mechanisms for human rights. He stressed that he will continue to place at the core of his work the importance of the rule of law, which due to wars, political, and social events in the EU and further afield, unfortunately slides steeply down in terms of civilisation. “In many places in the region and beyond, numerous democratic gains have been greatly tested, therefore it is especially important that we strengthen its immune system in society – independent supervisory institutions, free and independent media, an autonomous academic world, civil society, and other active members of society. “A healthy society functions based on the rule of law, socially agreed rules are abided by, relations of power, too, the power of argument, respectful dialogue, solidarity, and community opinion are gambled on, while democratic standards which were difficult to achieve are not only a dead letter on paper,” adds Peter Svetina.

As many times before, he advocated once again at the meeting in Priština for the strengthening of the operation and financial autonomy of independent institutions and criticised all political attempts to potentially dissolve their jurisdiction. According to him, independent institutions have been founded with the purpose of ensuring fundamental values, which includes taking care for the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Svetina hence also believes that we need to stand decisively against any attempts to demolish the democratic level which hinder the effective execution of jurisdiction for independent institutions and shake their reputation built over many years. On behalf of Slovenia Svetina supported the adoption of the Special Declaration ("AOM Pristina Declaration"), by which the AOM calls, among other things, for states and governments to guarantee and strengthen the independence of the Ombudsman institutions.

Svetina also presented to the participants the Slovenian case, in which the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia does guarantee to the institution of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia an independent and autonomous position, one of the features of which is budgetary independence, but the legislation enables the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to demand harmonisation of proposals for financial plans, which can result in yielding to the will of the current executive authority. “Despite the fact that in 2020 the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia (with decision no. U-I-474/18-17) in this case determined unconstitutionality and judged that the legislature must abolish it within one year, this has not happened to this day; therefore, in the current Annual Report the Slovenian Ombudsman repeats the recommendation connected to the provision of independence,” emphasised Ombudsman Svetina at the meeting. He also recalled that third annual report of the European Commission on the state of the rule of law for 2022, in which the European Commission also recommends legislative change towards strengthening the operation and providing financial autonomy of the Ombudsman, for which other national institutions for human rights also strive.

During the debate about integrity and the meaning of early discovery of bad practices Ombudsman Svetina emphasised that more efforts should be directed towards raising awareness or educating and training in this field, since wider awareness of the significance of ethics, morals, and integrity is crucial in practice. “Only thus will we be able to steer back to being the society of knowledge, ethics, and values which we, I hope, all want,” he added.

On the margins of the meeting, the President of the Republic of Kosovo Dr Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu hosted the reception for the members of the Association of the Mediterranean Ombudsmen. In a conversation, the Ombudsman Svetina congratulated her on the recent 15th anniversary of independence, which was commemorated by the Republic of Kosovo in February 2023 and expressed his desire to continue friendly relations between the two countries. Svetina also held other bilateral meetings in Kosovo, including with several Ombudsmen and the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the Republic of Kosovo Minca Benedejčič.