BackInvited by the national coordinator of regional Italian defenders and the defender of the region of Tuscany, Lucia Franchini, the Catalan Ombudsman Rafael Ribó, spoke before the Italian Parliament on the occasion of the presentation of the first Annual Joint Report that gathers up the work made by each region or autonomous province defender.
The European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, also attended the event. Ms. O'Reilly underlined the importance of this coordinated work as there is no national ombudsman institution in Italy. She has also reminded the setback in the defence of rights which meant the closure of local ombudsmen institutions back in 2010.
The Catalan Ombudsman, in the same vein, defended the work of ombudsmen and insisted that their work and presence are synonymous of good health of a democratic country. He also stressed that the ombudsman is much needed in today's democracies and has asked for their strengthening grounded on three central themes: institutional independence, empowerment, and provision of adequate human and financial resources.
Source: Catalan Ombudsman, Spain/Catalonia
