Job of ombudsperson to be reformed

The position of ombudsperson will be reformed. At legal level, there will be instituted additional guarantees to ensure transparency in the work of the ombudspersons and guarantees of professionalism when selecting candidates for the given post. At functional level, the image of the ombudsperson will be strengthened and strategic partnerships will be established with institutions of other states, Info-Prim Neo reports. A study made by the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT shows that the institutional, organizational and financial capacities should be strengthened. The lack of transparency is one of the serious shortcomings in the work of the ombudspersons and the institutions empowered to name ombudspersons to posts, study author Aurelia Vidaicu said when presenting the research. The process of appointing ombudspersons is not transparent and does not involve civil society. Civil society does not take part in the process of dismissing ombudspersons either. “The partnership with civil society is poorly developed and does not produce results,” said the expert. Another mentioned problem is the fact that the report on the observance of human rights during the last two years hasn’t been presented in Parliament. It was examined only by the parliamentary commission in charge. “Unfortunately, at this stage the commission discusses it and exerts its authority rather than analyzes the information to remedy the human rights situation,” said Aurelia Vidaicu. The study “The job of ombudsperson in Moldova: realities and prospects” was made within the Project “EU-Moldova Relations – Monitoring Progress within the Eastern Partnership” that is implemented by the Association for Participatory Democracy ADEPT with financial support from Soros Foundation Moldova.