The Ombudsman participates in the IOI European Board Meeting

The Ombudsman participates in the IOI European Board Meeting

Published July 11, 2024

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Emeritus Joseph Zammit McKeon, participated in the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) European Board meeting. This was the second meeting of the Board, following the first meeting held in The Hague during the IOI World Conference. The meeting was presided over by the President of the Board, Reinier Van Zutphen, Ombudsman of the Netherlands.

One of the items on the agenda was a letter from the Ombudsman of Kosovo regarding the rejection of his Annual Report by the Kosovo Parliament. In his letter, the Ombudsman of Kosovo sought the support of the IOI, as he emphasised that the rejection of the report poses a significant threat to the effectiveness of carrying out his mandate and also represents political pressure on the independence of the institution. The European Regional Board discussed the letter and agreed that further information would be sought from the Kosovan counterparts on this matter.

The President of the Board presented a report on his meeting in Poland with the Executive Director of Frontex, the Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Minister of Justice, which aimed to gain insight into the effects the Migration Pact will have on Europe and the way national governments will need to implement the Pact. The Board agreed that a workshop shall be organised in Brussels this October to discuss in more detail the effects of the Pact.

The meeting also discussed upcoming events organised by members of the European Region of the IOI, namely two conferences towards the end of the year. One in Ukraine will discuss ‘Reclaiming Human Rights: Preserving Democracy’, and another in Slovenia will discuss the effectiveness of Ombudsman institutions as NHRIs. The Ombudsman of Malta confirmed his participation in the conference in Slovenia.

Another item was a seminar organised by the Dutch National Ombudsman as part of the Ombuds Academy, discussing complaint behaviour and encouraging the sharing of experiences from different institutions.

The members of the European Regional Board were elected last December following an election by the members of IOI Europe. The next meeting will be held in Cyprus in November.