BackOn 18 February 2013, Law 17/2013, introducing a third amendment to the Statute of the Portuguese Ombudsman, was published in the Portuguese Official Journal, pursuant to promulgation by the President of the Republic.
It should be recalled that this new amendment to the Statute was adopted by the plenary of the Parliament in October 2012, on the basis of a set of proposals presented by the Ombudsman, Mr. Alfredo José de Sousa, in his recommendation 3/B/2012.
The proposed changes stemmed from the need to introduce specific updates in the Statute of the Portuguese Ombudsman, so as to take into account:
- The functions carried out by this institution in the framework of the European Union, of international treaties and conventions or other instruments and of regional associations;
- The reorganisation of the Public Administration;
- The need for an internal reorganization of the Ombudsman’s services.
Among the changes introduced by Law 17/2013, of 18 February, the following should be highlighted:
- Introduction of an explicit legal basis for the Portuguese Ombudsman’s role as national human rights institution, as well as for his cooperation with counterpart institutions and with EU and other international organizations concerned with the protection and promotion of human rights;
- Inclusion in the Ombudsman’s scope of activity of all private entities exercising public powers or providing services of general interest, taking into account the privatization of public companies in strategic areas of consumption, such as electricity and communications;
- Modification of the provision on the Portuguese Ombudsman’s own-initiative intervention, to highlight this institution’s role regarding the protection and promotion of the rights of particularly vulnerable groups of citizens on account of age, racial or ethnic background, gender or disability.
Source: Office of the Portuguese Ombudsman (Provedor de Justiça)
