site.btaParliament Passes Unanimously Ombudsman Report for 2016

Parliament Passes Unanimously
Ombudsman Report
for 2016


Sofia, June 8 (BTA) - Parliament Thursday unanimously passed the Report of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2016 with 190 votes "for". MPs from all parliamentary groups congratulated Maya Manolova for her efforts and her work in the past year.

For the Ombudsman 2016 was a year of actions and results, Manolova said in plenary. She tried to make the institution proactive, not just a "railway yard". Manolova has done her best to make the institutions her allies and to work well with the executive, the various agencies, the regional governors, mayors, NGOs and citizens. A lot of good things were achieved thanks to this good interaction, she said.

The outcomes include closing of the 'parallel judicial system' in the form of the so-called arbitration courts, finalization of the campaign for waiver of VAT for donated foods and six-fold reduction of jurisconsult fees. Manolova noted her work to defend the rights of children and said her team has put a lot of effort in support of children in the system of healthcare. The team is working on the introduction of shared parenthood, as well as on a bill for personal assistance. The Ombudsman will continue the campaign against the wasting of food by households, noting that 670,000 tonnes of food are destroyed each year.

GERB MP Danail Kirilov expressed support for the efforts of the Ombudsman. There is no doubt that action has been taken on a wide range of subjects and that there are results to the benefit of protecting the rights of citizens, he noted.

United Patriots MP Slavcho Atanassov declared that Manolova's activity is exceptionally beneficial, although sometimes "over the board". She works very well with the NGOs and the MPs, he said.

Niyar Djafer of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms congratulated her on her work and wished her to always be herself.

Content, confidence and results were the words of Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Kornelia Ninova defining Manolova's work. "You have given content to the institution of Ombudsman, you have increased confidence and there are results," Ninova commented. She also recommended that MPs react more promptly to the Ombudsman's proposals.

MP Boryana Georgieva of Volya congratulated Manolova on her well-done job. According to her, however, the reported increase of citizens' appeals to the Ombudsman is not a good indication about the work of all other institutions./BR

/СН/