BackIn 2019, 49,961 citizens and representatives of organisations received assistance from the Ombudsman; of them:
- 998 met with the Ombudsman, the Deputy Ombudsman and the Secretary General;
- 13,161 people used the services of the Reception Desk;
- 22,040 citizens sought the assistance of the Ombudsman and their request prompted by different issues were joined in actions;
- 13,762 complaints and signals were finalised.
In 2019, a significant part of the proposals made by the Ombudsman institution were related to hot problems of the citizens – problems of debtors, impossibility for the citizens to declare insolvency and others.
The amendments to the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) proposed by the Ombudsman which entered into force on 23 December 2019 give the citizens additional protection for their rights through: requirement for the court to monitor ex officio for unlawful clauses in contracts, requirement for applicants in enforcement proceedings, including banks, to provide contracts and the general terms and conditions to them as well as through the additional possibilities to suspend forced execution, including during a case.
The Social Kitchen project was implemented in the coldest winter months with the blessing of His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch and Sofia Metropolitan Bishop Neophyte, upon the initiative of the Ombudsman and with the support of the Bulgarian Red Cross and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests. 700-800 people on daily average – mainly elderly and lonely people but also mothers with children, unemployed, people finding themselves in temporary difficulties - were provided with food completely free of charge. Furthermore, more than 500 people were examined free of charge on 14 February 2019 at the Social Kitchen of the Ombudsman.
On 25 November 2019, the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, the Ombudsman organised a topical reception desk for women who are victims of violence. Proposals for amendments to the legislation were also presented by the Ombudsman to the UN Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
In 2019, the Ombudsman institution was also accorded the highest “A” STATUS of the UN in accordance with the Paris Principles as a national human rights institution.
Finally, the Ombudsman acting as National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) carried out 53 inspections in 2019.
Source: The Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria
