BackOn 8 April 2013 a Delegation of the Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag visited the IOI Secretary General Peter Kostelka. The main topics were the latest developments at the Petitions Committee, the Austrian Ombudsman Board and the IOI (International Ombudsman Institute).
The German delegation reported on the successful introduction of online petitions which are well accepted and frequently used by citizens. Furthermore, they stressed their support to the development of petition and ombudsman institutions in countries with young democracies.
Peter Kostelka presented the tasks of the Austrian Ombudsman Board, specificly its new role as National Prevention Mechanism. The members of the German delegation were especially interested in the weekly Austrian television programme “Bürgeranwalt” concerning current complaints filed with the Austrian Ombudsman Board and the periodic consultation days held in the Laender.
At the end of this exchange of views, Peter Kostelka gave a brief overview on the activities of the IOI. He explained that the new By-laws of the IOI are supposed to facilitate the admission of new members. Furthermore periodic reviews, the so-called progress reports, provide for the evaluation of all member institutions according to the requirements of the International Ombudsman Standard.
