The Ombudsman’s Office is participating in the assistance program for Ombudsman-type institutions in the Balkan region, within the scope of the TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange) project, promoted by the European Commission in the perspective of their accession to the European Union (EU). The objective of this mission is to evaluate the independence and efficiency of the functioning of…
The Ombudsman sent a recommendation to the Government to ensure effective accounting of the evaluation of former members of the Armed Forces who entered the Public Administration under the scope of the “system of incentives for provision of military service”. Following the assessment of various complaints, it was concluded that, in most cases, the norm of the State Budget for…
The Ombudsman drew the attention of the Secretary of State for Education to the need to conclude the regularization process of specialized technicians who guarantee training activities in state schools. After examining several complaints, it was noted that, despite the Extraordinary Regularization Program for Temporary Contracts in the Public Administration (PREVPAP) having begun in 2017, many trainers in schools, who…
The Portuguese Postal Service (CTT) is unduly demanding payment of Value Added Tax (VAT) on small-value non-EU remittances between private individuals, concluded the Ombudsman after examining several complaints in this regard. In a recommendation addressed to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of CTT – Correios de Portugal, S.A. and communicated to the Director of Customs Regulation Services of…
The Ombudsman’s Office pays a heartfelt and grateful tribute to the memory of Alberto Manuel de Sequeira Leal Sampaio da Nóvoa, recalling the decisive role he played in the founding moment of this State institution for the defense of citizens’ rights. Sampaio da Nóvoa was the author of the project that gave rise to Decree-Law 212/75, which established the creation…
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, was present at the award ceremony for the António Champalimaud Vision Prize, which in its 2022 edition recognised Gerrit Melles (Netherlands) and Claes Dohlman (Sweden) for breaking new ground in the research and treatment of corneal diseases by restoring sight to millions of people and preventing others from going blind in the future.
On 10 December the international community celebrates International Human Rights Day, marking the moment when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Constituting a civilizational milestone in our collective history, the Declaration brought to the legal, social and cultural level the strong idea that all human beings are holders of inalienable rights, regardless…
The Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, participated in the XXVII General Assembly of the FIO, Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen, which took place in Mexico City from 28 November to 1 December 2022. The work brought together more than a hundred representatives of public human rights bodies from 21 countries. They focused in particular on the challenges posed by the pandemic and…
The Ombudsman has received various complaints about delays in the issue of the Former Combatant’s Card, and it has been established that these delays are often the result of out-of-date data from the applicants. In order to update this data, interested parties may access the Balcão Único da Defesa and submit the completed form, which is available there. Alternatively, this…
The Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, was in Parliament for a presencial hearing on the legislative initiatives under appraisal by the Working Group on the legal framework of Professional Associations. The hearing took place at the request of the coordinator of the Working Group, constituted in the scope of the Commission of Labour, Social Security and Inclusion.