22 Act LIX of 1993 on Parliamentary Commissioners provided for They ensure high-level protection, thus correspond to the na- four Ombudsman positions, including that of the Parliamentary tional specificities and meet the requirements deriving from our Commissioner for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities. international commitments. At the same time, anomalies of law After nearly twenty years of efficient and successful cooperation, application are frequent in connection with the detailed rules, and due to a conceptual change in policy and parallel to the abolish- in certain areas such as the administration of nationality self-gov- ment of a separate commissioner’s post, the position of the Deputy ernments, education, funding, and the exercise of cultural and lin- Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Ombudsman for the guistic rights, some structural problems can also be noted. Rights of Nationalities Living in Hungary – commonly known as the Minority Ombudsman – was created as of 1 January 2012. Key responsibilities of the Deputy Commissioner at the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights: regularly inform the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the institutions concerned and the public of his/her experience regarding the enforcement of the rights of nationalities living in Hungary, draw the attention of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the institutions concerned and the public to the danger of infringement of rights affecting nationalities living in Hungary, propose that the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights institute proceedings ex officio, Due to the above, the portfolio of the Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, Ombudsman for the Rights of National Minorities comprises classical nationality rights cases which demand complex, comprehensive, and substantial legal abstraction and broad professional expertise, as well as complex petitions related to equal treatment and equal opportunities, which uncover the anomalies of jurisprudence in the first place, and require an interdisciplinary knowledge in law, sociology, social work and mental hygiene. The core activities of the Deputy Commissioner are con- participate in the inquiries of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, stituted by the practical examination of the enforcement of propose that the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights turn to the Constitutional Court, conclusions of which are briefly presented below for the year legislation relating to nationalities and equal treatment, the 2019. Her other main field of activity, i.e. broad-ranging national comment on the Government’s social inclusion strategy and monitor the implementation of objectives thereof concerning nationalities living in Hungary, and international liaising, will be presented in detail in Chapter 2.6 The Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, propose the adoption and amendment of legislation on the rights of nationalities living in Hungary, and Ombudsman for the Rights of National Minorities in the na- promote, through his/her international activities, the presentation of the merits of domestic institutions related to the interests of nationalities living in Hungary. In the first six-year term of her mandate, between 2013 and 2019, the Deputy Commissioner handled 1,966 complaints, of which she had closed 1,866 cases by 1 January 2020. In 1,515 cases, she took substantive actions, and in half of the latter, in addition to investigating the problem and taking legal measures, she also played a role as a mediator with a view to resolving and handling the matters concerned. In general, it can be affirmed that based on the Deputy Commissioner’s practice, both the dogmatic background and the text of the fundamental regulation relating to the rights of national minorities and equal treatment are properly elaborated. tional and international arena. 1.10.2. T  HE RECENT PROFESSIONAL TASKS OF THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS, OMBUDSMAN FOR THE RIGHTS OF NATIONAL MINORITIES REGARDING INDIVIDUAL AND COMPREHENSIVE CASES With respect to the area of nationality rights, the year 2019 was a period of stocktaking and (re)planning, thus it was primarily about strategic decisions and the accompanying processes. Our attention was focused on changes affecting three different areas, which are, however, fundamental for the rights enforcement discrimination due to nationality education and training housing and social problems criminal matters, misdemeanours, criminal justice equal treatment and equal opportunities Ombudsman for the Rights of National Minorities nationality self-governments nationality rights elections and census public employment nationality culture, media, theatre healthcare, public services hate speech, hate crimes human rights education, training and awareness-raising flagship events REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF HUNGARY AND HIS DEPUTIES – 2019 individual and collective use of names