As part of the Stability Pact Project on Independent National Human Rights Institutions, including ombudsman institutions, the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia organised, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, an International Conference on "The Relationship between Ombudsmen and Judicial Bodies". The meeting was held on 12 - 13 November 2001 in the Slon Hotel, Ljubljana and co-sponsored by the generous contribution of the Government of Sweden.
The Conference enabled ombudsmen, representatives of judicatory and intergovernmental organisations in the region and outside to compare experiences and recommend the most effective methods of preventing violations of human rights in this field.
The issues dealt with at the conference fell under two thematic headings:
1. Ombudsmen and the possibilities of supervision of the courts.
This topic covered general questions concerning the relationship between ombudsmen and judicial bodies, particularly the possibility of taking steps in the case of tackling the problems of unreasonably lengthy court procedures and other irregularities in the judicial process. Also discussed were the indirect possibilities of influencing the courts via recommendations to the minister of justice, the judicial council or superior courts. We compared experiences of the role of ombudsman as an amicus curiae. We attempted to establish what statutory powers were most appropriate in order for the ombudsman effectively to carry out his role in this field.
2. Powers of the ombudsman in relation to the constitutional court Within the context of this topic conference participants discussed the ombudsman's ability to take steps in cases where discrepancies between regulations and the constitution are identified. Cases where the ombudsman appears before such courts as the proposer of proceedings (constitutional complaint) were also discussed.

Conclusions of the conference are on the web page http://www.varuh-rs.si