Croatian People’s Ombudswoman visits Austrian Ombudsman Board

On 4 and 5 November 2015 Ombudswoman Gertrude Brinek and Ombudsman Günther Kräuter welcomed a delegation from the Office of the People’s Ombudsman Croatia in Vienna. The first day of the visit put a clear focus on the ex-post control of the both institutions. Ombudswoman Vidović – who was accompanied by her Deputy Ombudsman as well as an NPM expert and a communication specialist – showed interest in the communication and public relations work of the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) and in how it contributes to raising awareness and ensuring broader visibility of the Ombudsman’s work among the general public.

A vivid exchange evolved around the topic of the current migrant crisis in Europe. The group discussed the responsibility NHRIs assume in this matter, as well as the competences of Ombudsman institutions and how they can contribute significantly to the situation by establishing closer international networks with their respective counterparts.

The AOB as well as the Office of the Croatian People’s Ombudsman act as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). Organizational structure, mandate and competences of the Austrian and the Croatian NPM therefore became the focus of the second day of the meeting. The visitors from Croatia had the opportunity to receive more information about the very broad mandate of the Austrian NPM in talks with the head of one of the NPM’s commissions and a member of the Human Rights Advisory Council. Ombudswoman Vidović showed great interest in the monitoring of forced returns and the experiences of the Austrian NPM in this matter.

As Ombudswoman Brinek stressed in her farewell remarks, this visit “represented a very important first step for a closer cooperation between the two institutions”, which will be further expanded through follow-up visits in the near future.