null Board of European Ombudsman Institute Holds Meeting in Budapest

The Board of the European Ombudsman Institute (EOI), which Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. Ákos Kozma is also a member of, held its first meeting this year in Budapest on 13 August 2021.

The first Board Meeting of the European Ombudsman Institute in 2021 was opened by the host, Dr. Ákos Kozma, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights. In his opening speech, he emphasized the following: “This has been a historical year, full of struggles and challenges. During this period which has brought about the imposition of significant restrictions on fundamental rights, we have all had to tackle the task of handling newly submitted cases without having any earlier good practice to rely on, whether earlier practice elaborated by the Constitutional Court or other practice applicable.”

In his talk, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights focused especially on the Hungarian Ombudsman practice related to the measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic, and presented the series of visits that he had launched in spring 2020, as well as the extension of the competences of the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights.

Following the reports of the EOI President, Univ. prof. dr. Dragan Milkov and of the EOI Secretary General, dr. Josef Siegele, the participants of the meeting decided about the admission of new members and prepared the annual General Assembly of the organisation, which will take place in Novi Sad in September 2021.

European Ombudsman Institute

This independent, nonprofit organisation was created in 1988 with the aim to promote the Ombudsman institution and to enhance the exchange of experience on national, European and international levels.

Besides the scientific study of issues related to the protection of fundamental human rights and civil interests, the European Ombudsman Institute plays an active role in the enforcement of social, cultural and economic rights, in providing support for the activities of local, regional and national Ombudsmen, and in the European cooperation of Ombudsmen.

In November 2019, the Board of the European Ombudsman Institute elected Dr. Ákos Kozma, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights among its Board Members during its meeting and conference held in Innsbruck, the seat of the Institute.