BackCatalan Ombudsman and IOI Board member Rafael Ribó informed the IOI General Secretariat that Resolution 1959 (2013) passed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe last week. As Mr Ribó highlighted, this resolution is the culmination of the work initiated by the Council of Europe and requested by IOI-Europe. During the drafting process, IOI-Europe was closely in touch with the head of the European Council.
This resolution refers to all previous recommendations of the assembly, with a particular emphasis on the independence of the ombudsman. It is important to emphasize that its point six explicitly claims the need to avoid budgetary cuts that may result in the loss of independence of the ombudsman and even in its extinction. The resolution explicitly maintains the need of Ombudsman Institutions at national or regional level in order to monitor the different administrations and executive authorities which enforce the law.
