Support for human rights systems and defenders  

Child protection Legal migration and integration

Civil society

When 25 April 2023

Where Online, Austria

Organised By FRA

FRA event

On 25 April, FRA will hold one of its monthly webinars for civil society organisations participating in the Fundamental Rights Platform (FRP).

It will introduce FRA’s ‘Guardianship of unaccompanied children’ trainers’ manual and related e-learning course.

It follows an earlier webinar on 29 March. In this first webinar, FRA experts introduced the FRA ‘Fleeing Ukraine: Displaced people’s experiences in the EU’ report and related survey. It offered an update on FRA’s Ukraine-related work.

By way of regular thematic webinars, FRA aims to encourage civil society organisations to learn more about FRA’s activities. It also seeks allows others in civil society to interconnect to exchange experiences and practices, and create synergies.

The aim of the Advisory Committee on Human Rights is to advise the Chancellor of Justice on the protection and promotion of human rights.

50 people from various walks of life from all over Estonia were elected to the committee in a public competition. Among the members of the committee are experts in equal treatment, the rights of persons with disabilities, children's rights, violence prevention, healthcare, genetic technology, medical ethics, architecture, personal data protection, freedom of religion, environmental protection, and other fields.

The Advisory Committee is elected for four years and it usually meets twice a year.

The members of the new Advisory Committee on Human Rights are Aet Kukk, Alar Aab, Aleksander Jalasto, Andres Lehtmets, Anne Haller, Anne Raadik, Anneli Soo, Ats Mattias Tamm, Edgar-Arnold Kiur, Eduard Maron, Eha Reitelmann, Elen Kirt, Grete Maria Neppo, Gretel Murd, Hanah Lahe, Heidi Paabort, Helen Orav-Kotta, Helika Saar, Hille Raud, Indrek Kaing, Inge Talts, Ivan Sergejev, Janek Maat, Jelena Pipper, Kadi Viik, Kadri Vare, Kai Haldre, Kai Part, Karmen Koppel, Kiira Gornischeff, Kristi Rekand, Liina Kanter, Mart Susi, Mats Volberg, Merike Värik, Meris Velling, Nele Nisu, Pille Kaljurand, Piret Aus, Piret Visnapuu-Bernadt, Priit Kasepalu, Reigo Reppo, Rein Lang, Ringo Ringvee, Roger Tibar, Sven Kõllamets, Tambet Laasik, Toomas Toomsoo, Vaike Pähn, Vivian Jõemets.

The first composition of the Advisory Committee on Human Rights operated in 2019-2023. In cooperation with the members of the committee, several initiatives were born in the fields of children's rights, law enforcement, environmental protection, and other areas.

When foreign nationals apply for a residence permit in Denmark according to the Labour Market Attachment Scheme, they have to use a digital application form on the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). The applicant needs to enter his or her passport number and its expiry date into the form, among other things. If the boxes are not filled in, the form cannot be submitted.

However, it is not a requirement in the Labour Market Attachment Scheme to have a valid passport in order to get a residence permit. Therefore, the Ombudsman has asked SIRI to ensure that also foreign nationals without a valid passport can apply.

SIRI has previously informed applicants over the phone that they can just enter random characters or information from an expired passport if they are not in possession of a valid passport. After the Ombudsman started his investigation of the matter, SIRI has also stated the same on its website. In addition, SIRI will insert a link in the application form to the guidelines on the website in the middle of 2023.

However, this solution is not good enough, according to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The information given in the application form is subject to criminal liability, and filling in the digital application form is normally the only way to submit an application. Therefore, this information should, in the Ombudsman’s opinion, appear directly from the form in question, so that both applicants and authorities can clearly see that it is not a criminal offence and it will not have consequences pursuant to immigration law to fill in the passport-related boxes with random characters.

‘If the Agency wants to use a digital application solution entailing that foreign nationals without a valid passport can only apply if they submit incorrect information, it must appear clearly that this procedure is legal – not least considering that the applicants are asked to solemnly declare that the submitted information is correct, and the consequences of submitting incorrect information can be quite serious for the people in question’, says Parliamentary Ombudsman Niels Fenger.

The Ombudsman asks for the Agency’s response as to what his statement gives the Agency occasion to do. He asks the Agency to respond within two months.

Read the Ombudsman’s statement (in Danish only).

https://www.theioi.org/ioi-news/ioi-newsletter

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee has today published its report following our 2021-22 scrutiny session. 

We are pleased to see recognition of our proactive approach to managing the demand on our service, which included investment in recruitment and staff training, and means we are prioritising the most serious complaints.

We also welcome the Committee highlighting many of the positive changes we made and successes we achieved over the past year, including:

• our commitment to an end-to-end review of our casework processes,
• the positive results of the 2021/22 staff survey,
• the Peer Review which found PHSO was an “efficient, enhanced and effective modern Ombudsman service”,
• progress on Complaint Standards for the NHS and Government,
• our outreach and liaison activities.

The Committee also highlighted several areas for monitoring and improvement. We welcome this and will work to further build on the progress we have made. We are also committed to the ongoing improvement of our complaint handling via our dedicated casework programme. We are confident this will work and will deliver an exemplary public service that continues to be value for money. We will provide a full response to the Committee’s report in due course.