The European General Assembly of the International Ombudsman Institute, attended by Ombudswoman Lora Vidovic, was held in Tallinn on September 17th. International Ombudsman Institute is a global network of ombudsman institutions, and the European region, with over 70 members, is the largest among them.

At the General Assembly, the network activities during the last two years were presented, among which particularly stands out the cooperation with international actors such as the World Bank, the organization of trainings which aims to strengthen the capacity of institutions, the implementation of specific projects and the support that institutions can provide to one another, especially in situations of reduced budget allocations as well as in the particular crisis situation in Ukraine.

Particular concern was provoked by the announcement of the adoption of the EU directive on alternative conflict resolution in the consumer protection area, which is expected in the first half of 2015 and which may affect the new expansion of the ombudsman´s mandate in the EU countries.

New rules were voted which, among other things, introduce electronic voting.

After completion of the General Assembly, there will be a two-day conference titled: The Ombudsman’s role in a democracy, at which, on September 19th, the Ombudswoman will hold a presentation on the influence of international and European rules, guidelines and standards on the work of the Ombudsman, especially on how international standards affect the scope and mode of action in Croatia.