Office of the commissioner for fundamental rights of hungary

The achievements of Senior Legal Advisor Dr. Zsuzsanna Győrffy in the area of child protection were honored by the Ministry of Human Capacities by a memorial certificate and a plaque. The slogan of the document awarded on the twentieth anniversary of the enactment of the Child Protection Act, on occasion of the Social Work Day, is “A Chance for a Lifetime”, which expresses the importance of the activities of the experts working in the field of child protection, in safeguarding and respecting children’s rights.

On October 25, 2017, Director Peggy Hicks and Deputy Regional Representative for Europe Paul D’Auchamp from the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) paid a visit to the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights.

On September 28, 2017, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. László Székely and some experts from our Office (OPCAT experts Head of Department Dr. Gergely Fliegauf and Deputy Head of Department Dr. Katalin Haraszti) paid a visit to the Sopronkőhida Prison together with three experts from the Austrian Ombudsman Board (Volksanwaltschaft), in order to exchange their experience focusing on the OPCAT NPM.

On October 5, 2017, within the frameworks of his two-day visit to Hungary, Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), paid a visit to the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary. Members of the delegation headed by Director O’Flaherty included Adviser on Fundamental Rights Issues John Kellock and Legal Research Officer Tamás Molnár.

The Judiciary Committee supported, with ten yes votes and two abstentions, that the National Assembly put the report on the activities of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights in 2016 on the agenda of its plenary meeting.

The Ombudsman for Future Generations has already expressed his concerns, in agreement with the professional water management organizations, concerning the Government’s having submitted a bill, without any preliminary social or professional coordination, which would allow the establishment of household wells of a maximum depth of even 80 meters without the obligation to obtain any prior permits or make any such announcements. This directly jeopardizes the sustainable management of underground waters and the safety of water supply, and may also prevent efficient state protection.