THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE OMBUDSMAN IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CITIZEN IN RULE OF LAW

Abstract

The word "ombudsman" comes from the Swedish language area and means "to defend other people's rights". Therefore, it is a person who helps when the citizen has complaints and when he believes that he has been wronged by the rule of law. There are different types of ombudsmen, according to the domain that the citizen and the ombudsman or mediator will face. The activity of the ombudsman may depend on the activity the company is engaged in, the sector in which the activity is carried out or the public service. In the EU countries, for complaints related to the behavior of the police, it is envisaged that the citizen should contact the complaint department of the municipality or an appropriate committee. When it comes to a federal state like Germany or Belgium, the citizen can file complaints regarding dissatisfaction with certain legal decisions of the court and in that case contact the Federal or Federal Ombudsman. In practice, it is not always easy to initiate a discussion between opposing parties who do not speak the same language. Many citizens believe that there is a gap between them and the public authorities. During the nineties, a large number of EU member states appointed ombudsmen at the state level. The ombudsman or mediator has three missions: • Mediation mission: when he examines individual complaints regarding the decisions and functioning of the state administration, analyzes the conflict and proposes solutions • The second mission is investigative. The Ombudsman conducts investigations into the functioning of the high state administration, based on complaints or at the request of the House of Representatives, and investigates and condemns suspected attacks on the integrity of the administration. The third mission of the Ombudsman is to recommend citizens to send opinions, views and recommendations to the Parliament and to the concerned administration. These opinions are the result of findings made during the processing of complaints or during its investigation, and they are the subject of a report to Parliament each year. The public mediator is the parliamentary ombudsman of He does not report to the government. He reports to the National Assembly on respect for the rights of citizens in relations with public services in the direction of ensuring the integrity and improvement of public services.