BELGIUM

Federal Ombudsmen

In Belgium the organization and the functions of the ombudsman are set out in the Federal Ombudsmen Act of 22 March 1995. The ombudsmen are appointed by the House of Representatives for a period of six years and are entitled to another tenure. Citizens of Belgium, who have a fluent command of the official languages, who have served in the legal profession or who have been employed in the social sphere and administration for at least 5 years, are eligible for appointment as ombudsmen. The ombudsmen’s functions may be ended before the six-year term lapses on request of the House of Representatives and on reaching the age of 65. An ombudsman may be dismissed in cases of incompatibility or of great breaches.

There are two Federal Ombudsmen in Belgium. The first one is competent towards the French speaking citizens and the other – towards the Flemish speaking citizens. The ombudsmen supervise the activities of the federal administrative bodies. They may also control the activities of the local administrative bodies if they are authorised by them to do so. They are independent of other state authorities in their activities.

The ombudsmen report yearly to the House of Representatives on their activities. If they deem, they may present reports in each three mouths. The Federal Ombudsmen have the right to speak at the sessions of the Parliament.

Contact information:
Federal Ombudsmen of Belgium
Address: Hertogstraat 43 Rue Ducale, Brussels 1000, Bruxelles
Phone: 02/289.27.27
Fax: 02/289.27.28
E-mail: email@federaalombudsman.be
Web site: http://www.federaalombudsman.be/