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6
February
2024

NHRI accreditation status and mandates - update 2024

The 2024 update on NHRIs accreditation status and mandates also covers their engagement in the monitoring of fundamental rights compliance in the use of EU funds at national level. Moreover, the update also shows how NHRIs make use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in their work when advising government or in education, training and awareness raising activities. Since its 2020 report 'Strong and effective national human rights institutions – challenges, promising practices and opportunities', the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has been regularly tracking the accreditation status and mandates of NHRIs.

Out of the 26 NHRIs which responded to this survey, 15 NHRIs used the Charter in 2023 in their work in the context of education/training and awareness raising. Application of the Charter provisions when advising government was indicated by 11 NHRIs: the Austrian Ombudsman Board, the Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (FIRM) (Belgium), the Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunity and the fight against racism and discrimination (Unia) (Belgium), the German Institute for Human Rights, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, the Consultative Human Rights Commission of Luxembourg, the Chancellor of Justice (Estonia), the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia, the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights (Cyprus) and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Five NHRIs indicated that they use the Charter in litigation before courts, namely the Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, the Ombudsman of the Republic of North Macedonia, and the Swedish Equality Ombudsman. The Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights (Cyprus) is the only institution that indicated that it applies the Charter in the context of mediation.

The Swedish Institute for Human Rights refers to the Charter in its legal opinions on the government’s legislative proposals. When it comes to accession countries, experiences differ. The EU Charter holds major significance for the People’s Advocate of the Republic of Albania, primarily in the areas of awareness raising, processing complaints and advising government. Following its attainment of FRA observer state status, Albania, alongside its NHRI, has expeditiously and proactively incorporated the principles outlined in the EU Charter into its operational framework. In contrast, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Serbia, in its reply, indicated that the use of the EU Charter does not constitute a foundational aspect of its operational framework.

Table 4 – Institutions that used the Charter of Fundamental Rights in their work in 2023 and the context in which it was used:

NHRI (or nearest equivalent)

Education / Training

Awareness raising

Processing complaints

Advising government

Litigation before court

Mediation

Other activities[5] Other mandates are spelled out in Table 3.

Austrian Ombudsman Board

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (FIRM) (Belgium)

 

 

 

Yes

 

 

Research

Policy related communication

Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunity and the fight against racism and discrimination (Unia) (Belgium)

 

 

 

Yes

 

 

Opinion on the digital divide

Commission for Protection against Discrimination (Bulgaria)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria

 

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

 

Participation in a regional project on the topic.

Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia

Yes

Yes

 

Yes

Yes

 

Participation in a regional project on the topic.

Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights (Cyprus)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Yes

Participation in a regional project on the topic.

Public Defender of Rights (Czechia)

 

 

Yes

 

 

 

Research Policy related communication *

Danish Institute for Human Rights

 

 

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Equal treatment body

 

Chancellor of Justice (Estonia)

 

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

 

Supervision over conformity of acts of general application with constitutions and their legality (constitutional review)

Finnish Human Rights Centre

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

 

Statements to the ministries and parliamentary committees on legislative proposal

Participation in FRA’s Charter Expert Group

Parliamentary Ombudsman (Finland)

 

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

Yes *

National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (France)

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

 

 

German Institute for Human Rights

Yes

 

 

Yes

 

 

 

Greek National Commission for Human Rights

Yes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights (Hungary)

Yes

Yes

 

Yes

 

 

 

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

 

 

 

 

Yes

 

Yes

National Guarantor for the Rights of Persons Detained or Deprived of Liberty **
(Italy)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ombuds institution’s Office of the Republic of Latvia

Yes

 

Yes

 

 

 

 

Participation in a regional project on the topic.

The Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office (Lithuania)

 

 

Yes

 

 

 

Yes *

Consultative Human Rights Commission of Luxembourg

 

Yes

 

Yes

 

 

Research Policy related communication *

Human Rights and Equality Commission **
(Malta)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netherlands Institute for Human Rights

Yes

Yes

 

Yes

 

 

 

Commissioner for Human Rights (Poland)

Yes

 

Yes

 

 

 

 

 

Participation in a regional project on the topic.

Portuguese Ombudsman

 

 

Yes

 

 

 

 

People’s Advocate (Romania)

 

 

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

Romanian Institute for Human Rights

Yes

Yes

 

Yes

 

 

 

Slovak National Centre for Human Rights

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

 

Participation in a regional project on the topic.

Analysis

The Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

 

Participation in a regional project on the topic.

Ombuds institution of Spain

 

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

 

Equality Ombudsman (Sweden)

 

 

 

 

Yes

 

 

Institute for Human Rights (Sweden)

Yes

Yes

 

Yes

 

 

Yes

People's Advocate of the Republic of Albania

 

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

 

 

Ombudsman of the Republic of North Macedonia

 

 

 

 

Yes

 

 

Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes

Note:  * highlights changes in mandate since the December 2022 update; ** highlights NHRIs that have not provided answers to the survey.

Source: FRA, December 2023.