After almost a year, Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina worked in Maribor once again. He and his team welcomed 15 individuals who, among other things, brought his attention to lengthy procedures of the Maribor administrative unit. He estimates the smaller number of people applying for a meeting as a good sign, since he notices that people do a lot themselves to enforce their rights.
The Ombudsman visits Maribor with his team at least once a year, not only because this is the second largest city in Slovenia, but also because he receives many complaints from people from this urban municipality.
In the last year, the Ombudsman treated 117 complaints from this municipality. “Today we received 15 complainants. We opened quite a few new matters, which primarily pertained to pensions, police procedures, statute of limitation, and lengthy procedures and unresponsiveness of the Maribor Administrative Unit,” Svetina said in his press release after meeting with the mayor Saša Arsenovič at the seat of the Maribor municipality.
Regarding the lengthy procedures at the administrative unit, he said that the Ombudsman’s office will now try to find answers from the administrative unit; however, he can immediately say that changes are necessary in this field. “I have spoken with a complainant who has been waiting an unreasonably long time for a residence permit extension. In this issue, the Maribor and Ljubljana administrative units stand out. These procedures take an unreasonably long time and the state must do something to rectify this,” he said.
Although the number of people who applied for a meeting with his team in Maribor this time is smaller than in previous years, Svetina is satisfied with the visits. “We see that people are increasingly aware of their rights and the ways in which they can solve their problems,” he estimated.
The Ombudsman is not always able to help. One of the visitors this time brought his attention to a doctor’s error more than 25 years ago which is making it hard for him to live today. “You can only show compassion in such a case. However, every time I meet with medical personnel I will continue to warn that we have to be human towards one another and know how to apologise if we made a mistake,” concluded Svetina.
