null Discussion of the 2024 report in the Parliament's Committee on Justice

The Ombudsman and the Minority Ombudsman are public officials elected by a two-thirds majority of the members of Parliament, who are required to act independently of other public bodies and institutions in the performance of their professional duties, and are accountable only to the Parliament that elected them. In accordance with the relevant legislation, they provide Members of Parliament and the public with comprehensive annual reports on their work.

The Parliament's Committee on Justice is given a particularly important role in the process of "guarding the guardians": as the first appointed professional committee, it discusses the current report each year and then takes a position on it. As part of the procedure, the panel hears the Ombudsman's report and a brief summary by the deputies as a rapporteur. The members of the committee may ask for clarification on the professional matters read or discussed in the form of comments or questions.

The debate on the 2024 annual report took place on 6 May 2025, and was attended by Dr. Ákos Kozma, Dr. Erzsébet Szalayné Dr. Sándor, Minority Ombudsman, and Dr. Gyula Bándi, Ombudsman for Future Generations. During the nearly two-hour hearing, they presented the contents of the report and the individual sections, highlighted the results of their investigations, which they considered important, as well as the most important professional challenges of the year and answered the questions asked.


 

Dr. Imre Vejkey, President, indicated that the Committee's debate on the Ombudsman's report is a very important event every year, and this year one related circumstance deserves special mention: on 3 November 2025, the 12-year service of Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay as Minority Ombudsman will end, i.e. the mandate given to her by the National Assembly in 2013 and 2019 will expire. The President thanked the Minority Ombudsman for her efficient and effective work and successful cooperation in the field of nationality law over the past decade.

The report was adopted by a large majority of the Parliament's Committee on Justice and will be discussed by the Parliament's Committee of the Nationalities in the near future. The plenary debate and the final vote before the Parliament will take place later, after the committees’ opinions have been formulated.