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Conclusion of a cooperation project between the Dutch and the Serbian Ombudsman offices
Last week, the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands, Reinier van Zutphen, together with several staff members, attended the official closing of a cooperation project with both the national and local ombudsmen in Serbia. In the presence of the Serbian Ombudsman, Zoran Pašalić, and a big representation from the national office and several local Serbian ombudsmen, the project was concluded.
This was not the first time the Dutch and Serbian Ombudsman institutions had worked together. In 2009, the Dutch Ombudsman, in collaboration with the Greek Ombudsman, led an EU twinning project to support the Serbian Ombudsman.
The most recent project, which concluded last week, began in 2022 as part of the EU’s broader initiative to strengthen the rule of law in Serbia — a crucial aspect of the country’s EU accession process. One of the project’s core aims was to enhance the capacity of both national and local ombudsmen in Serbia.
Over the past two and a half years, the project covered a wide range of topics. These included the drafting of legislation for local ombudsmen, building and maintaining a network of contact persons, improving cooperation between the national and local ombudsmen, addressing persistent and inappropriate complaint behavior, identifying signals and trends, and implementing new approaches to initiate investigations proactively.
The final meeting highlighted how the collaboration had been mutually inspiring, encouraging participants to approach their work from new perspectives and explore alternative methods together. Given the depth of the relationship built over the years, there is a shared sentiment that it would be unfortunate to end the partnership without a plan for the future.
To that end, discussions are now underway with the Dutch embassy to explore options for continuing the cooperation in a simpler, more sustainable form.
Source: Office of the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands
