The adoption of the bill to institute the post of ombudsman for the protection of the rights of entrepreneurs is a threat to the independence and functionality of the Ombudsman’s Office, considers ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai. According to him, the duties and role of the ombudsman for the rights of entrepreneurs run counter to the activity standards of a National Institute for Human Rights, according to the Paris Principles, as the mandate of this in the business and human rights sector consists in the protection of the human rights from abuses committed by business entities, while the authors of the bill consider the mandate and the main mission of the ombudsman for the protection of the rights of entrepreneurs is to defend the economic interests of the representatives of the business community, IPN reports.

In a press release, the Ombudsman’s Office says the ombudsman asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights to support him in his approaches to the Moldovan authorities so as to stop the process of instituting the post of ombudsman for the protection of the rights of entrepreneurs at the Ombudsman’s Office until the bill is subject to international examination.

The bill to institute the post of ombudsman for the protection of the rights of entrepreneurs was discussed in the November 18 meeting of the Parliament’s commission for appointments and immunities and was put on the agenda of the plenary sitting even if the ombudsman requested Speaker Zinaida Grechanyi and the standing commissions to put off the examination of this document in Parliament until expert international organizations pronounce on it.