Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Opens Field Offices

From 1 February 2022, the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights will open field offices in Szeged, Debrecen and Győr, so complainants will be able to initiate ombudsman’s procedures in person not only in Budapest but also in three major cities outside the capital. In the near future, additional offices will be opened in Székesfehérvár, Miskolc and Pécs.

The fundamental aim of the ombudsman institution is to assist – with the legal instruments available – all those whose fundamental rights have been infringed in any way.

The Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights (OCFR) receives nearly eight thousand petitions per year. The Ombudsman inquires into complaints in connection with fundamental rights and police measures, he examines the process of the handling of public interest disclosures, and he also performs discrimination-related authority proceedings.

According to Dr. Ákos Kozma, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the principal mission of the Ombudsman’s Office is to help as many people as possible. Moreover, he believes that connecting to people and gaining experience directly and personally is a top priority because it allows him to learn about people’s problems first hand, and be more efficient in helping them to find a solution.

“Our measure to open field offices in six major cities of Hungary outside the capital enhances our ability to reach out to citizens more efficiently. Thanks to this, from 2022, our clients will be able to request in person also in major cities outside the capital that the Ombudsman conduct an inquiry into their case”, Dr. Ákos Kozma emphasized at the opening ceremony of the OCFR Field Office in Szeged, which was held today.

From 1 February, the staff members of the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights will be at the disposal of all those asking for the Ombudsman’s help not only in Budapest, but also in Szeged, Debrecen and Győr, and eventually in Székesfehérvár, Miskolc and Pécs. Complainants will be received upon prior appointment.

Anyone may request the launching of an inquiry by the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights if in his or her judgement, the activity or omission of a public body or an organ performing public services specified in the law infringes a fundamental right of the person submitting the petition or presents an imminent danger thereto.

The Ombudsman’s procedure is free of charge; the costs of the inquiry are borne by the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights.