The Chair of the Congress Monitoring Committee, Leendert VERBEEK (Netherlands, SOC), welcomed the adoption by the Venice Commission of the "Venice Principles" at its 118th plenary session on 15 March 2019. The "Venice Principles" concern the protection and promotion of the institution of Ombudsmen, with whom the Congress has been working for many years. Dialogue with the Ombudsmen is particularly essential in the context of its activities to monitor the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and to promote human rights at local and regional level.
"We consider that the Ombudsman is a real actor in strengthening local and regional democracy. This is why he has become a key interlocutor during our monitoring missions, as have the national, regional and local authorities we meet on this occasion," said Leen VERBEEK. "These principles constitute an undeniable added value to the Council of Europe's normative arsenal in this field," he welcomed.
The Venice Principles recall that more than 140 States currently have ombudsman institutions at national, regional or local level with different competences. They stress that the mediator is an important element in a State based on democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and good governance. These principles contain a set of guidelines to ensure the proper functioning of this institution at all levels.
