CROATIA | Parliament rejects annual report of Ombudswoman

“The vote of the parliament is a political pressure on the independence of this institution”, says Lora Vidovic, Ombudswoman of Croatia.

“Today's rejection of the 2015 Ombudswoman Report in the Croatian Parliament represents political pressure on the independence of this institution. This is further supported by the fact that members of parliament have unanimously adopted the Report during the discussions in relevant parliamentary committees.

I use the opportunity to remind that the Report, in more than 50 thematic chapters, describes everyday reality our citizens face.

In 2015, 92,000 pensioners received pensions under 500 kuna, almost one in five young people was outside the education system and labour market, and thus at a serious risk of social exclusion. Number of patients with melanoma Croatia is at EU average, but the melanoma mortality rate is over 50 percent. 12,000 veterans submitted a request for state housing last year. Residents of rural areas live in villages without electricity, without access to water, public transport and with unkept roads. Unacceptable and discriminatory rhetoric in public space are still strong, and the rights of minorities are perceived as a threat to the majority.

It saddens me to say that two days of parliamentary debate in a half-empty Croatian Parliament was dedicated almost exclusively to the discussion on ideological and value differences, rather than problems citizens themselves recognize as important and which they report to us.

The result of the vote we see as confirmation that we need to continue to advocate for and propose systemic changes aimed at better protection of human rights and combating discrimination. Citizens’ labour, social, economic and other rights continue to be seriously threatened or violated every day, while discrimination represents a significant problem year after year.

We hope that 160 recommendations the Report brings will not remain a dead letter, but will be implemented, in order to ensure higher human rights protection and a stronger fight against discrimination in Croatia. We will continue to monitor their implementation, while at the same time we will continue working on the challenges we encounter in 2016.” , noted Ombudswoman Lora Vidovic in her official statement.

Source: Office of the Ombudswoman of Croatia