Instytucja Ombudsmana jako czynnik demokratyzacji systemów państwowych w krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej i Południowej
The institution of the ombudsman as a democratization factor in the state systems of Central-Eastern and Southern Europe

Summary/Abstract: The functioning of many organs which aim to ensure the rule of law is standard in democratic countries. One of them is the institution of the ombudsman, which has become significant in both those countries with strong democratic systems and emerging democracies. The most important features of this institution are independence, easy access, reliability and flexibility. Nowadays, it functions in approximately 100 countries and it is estimated that this number will increase in the near future. There has been a European ombudsman in the European Union since 1995, and the Council of Europe appointed a Human Rights Commissioner in 1999. In West European countries, the process of creating the office of the ombudsman was particularly intensive after the Second World War, as a result of their experience of totalitarianism. This process could also be observed in Central-Eastern and Southern Europe during the political transformations of the 1990s. It was a symbol of the transformation and democratization of those countries. Poland can be safely assumed to have been a forerunner in the process in this region.

• Details
• Contents