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Out of the 34 NHRIs that responded to this survey, 20 NHRIs used the Charter in 2024 in their work related to education, training and awareness raising.
Five NHRIs indicated that they used the Charter in litigation before courts. 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.
Within the EU, three NHRIs reported not using the Charter in 2024: the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland, the Italian National Guarantor for the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty and the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (France).
When it comes to accession countries, experiences differ. The Charter holds significance for the People’s Advocate of the Republic of Albania, primarily in the areas of awareness raising and when conducting human rights impact assessments or legal scrutiny. In North Macedonia, the Charter is used by the ombudsman for awareness raising and litigation before courts. In contrast, the Ombudsman of Serbia, in its reply, indicated that the Charter is not a foundational aspect of its operational framework.
Table 4 presents 14 NHRIs that indicated that they applied the Charter provisions when advising the government.
Table 4 – Institutions that used the Charter in their work in 2024 and the context in which it was used
NHRI (or nearest equivalent) |
Education/training |
Awareness raising |
Processing complaints |
Advising government |
Human rights impact assessment or legal scrutiny |
Litigation before court |
Mediation |
Other activities |
Austrian Ombudsman Board |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
FIRM (Belgium) |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
Interfederal Equal Opportunities Centre Unia (Belgium) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Commission for Protection against Discrimination (Bulgaria) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
. |
Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights (Cyprus) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
Public Defender of Rights (Czechia) |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Danish Institute for Human Rights |
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chancellor of Justice (Estonia) |
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Finnish Human Rights Centre |
Yes |
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
German Institute for Human Rights |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Greek National Commission for Human Rights |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commissioner for Fundamental Rights (Hungary) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission |
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Latvia |
Yes
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
The Seimas Ombudsperson’s Office (Lithuania) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Consultative Human Rights Commission of Luxembourg |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
|
Research policy related communication |
Parliamentary Ombudsman (Malta) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
Netherlands Institute for Human Rights |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Commissioner for Human Rights (Poland) |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
. |
Portuguese Ombudsman |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
People’s Advocate (Romania) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Romanian Institute for Human Rights |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Slovak National Centre for Human Rights |
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
The Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
Ombuds institution of Spain/Defensor del Pueblo |
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Equality Ombudsman (Sweden) |
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
Institute for Human Rights (Sweden) |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
People’s Advocate of the Republic of Albania |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
Ombudsman of the Republic of North Macedonia |
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
Source: FRA, December 2024.