News
The Catalan Ombudsman hosted the first meeting of the new European Board of the International Institute of Ombudsman
Among the issues covered there is the presentation of the program of activities for the next two years
The office of the Ombudsman of Catalonia welcomed Wednesday 30th November the European representatives of the benchmark ombudsman organization, the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI).
The European IOI Board, whose president is Rafael Ribó for the next four years after receiving the support of his counterparts in a recent vote, include eighty ombudsman institutions across the continent. The Irish ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, who was recently elected president of global IOI, is also part of the Board. During the meeting in Barcelona, the Belgian federal ombudsman, Catherine Bruecker, has been appointed European vice president with unanimity.
The other members of European board are Italian ombudsman, Lucia Franchini; the Welsh ombudsman, Nick Bennet; the Estonian ombudsman, Ulle Madise, and the Dutch ombudsman, Reinier van Zutphen.
Among the topics discussed, there is the presentation and approval of the program of action for the upcoming two years, with special attention to refugees and the rights situation in Turkey, Poland and Romania, as well as initiatives for workshops and training seminars and the ability to expand the organization and to include new members.
It has also been decided that the next European Conference, scheduled for 2018, will be held in Brussels (Belgium) in witch topics such as access to information, democracy and international standards will be discussed.
