40 The organisations of the European Union and European networks After their personal meeting in Brussels, Ombudsman Dr. Ákos Kozma sent a letter of congratulation to European Ombudsman Ms. Emily O’Reilly, who was re-elected by the European Parliament (newly set up after the European elections) for a five-year term after her mandate expired in 2019. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights – FRA Act contains comprehensive protection rules for the whistleblowers and this fact had already been known before the adoption of the Directive, the Commissioner signed the declaration of intent. The staff members of the Office have regularly participated in training programmes held by the Academy of European Law (ERA) in Trier, Germany for several years. ERA was established at the initiative of the European Parliament in 1992. Since then, as many as 25 of the 28 member states joined the foundation that operates the Academy. ERA was elected to the Steering Committee of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), which had been set up with ERA’s participation. It maintains close relations with many national institutions in- The Office has well-established and long-standing relations with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), which was formed on 1 March 2007 under Council Directive No. 168/2007/EC (15 February 2007). The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union defines the personal, civil, political, economic and social rights of the persons living in the European Union. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights is an independent body of the EU specialising in this field, whose mandate covers the full scope of the rights defined in the Charter. volved in the training of lawyers, with a view to the joint organisation of training programmes for judges and public prosecutors. The Office regularly receives groups that visit Hungary in the framework of the EJTN and wish to get acquainted with the Hungarian Ombudsman’s rights protection activity. In 2019, our staff members attended ERA seminars related to the following topics: gender equality; rights of persons living with disabilities; the special aspects of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the relations between the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the national laws; the EU framework laws on equal treatment, with special regard to the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, the international treaties, and the respective In 2019, the Agency organised several thematic workshops, launched EFRIS, i.e. the EU Fundamental Rights Information System, which is EU directives. European Network of Equality Bodies (EQUINET) a database for the monitoring of human rights control mechanisms by the member states, organised joint training sessions with the member state (Finnish, Croatian and Polish) NHRIs for civil society organisations and policy-makers, as well as the staff members of the NHRIs. 2019 also saw the implementation of a research project as a result of which a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the NHRIs operating in the member states will be offered, by reviewing the current situation of the institutions, their respective achievements, challenges, and so on. Our Office also took an active part in this research effort, by providing detailed information on the work performed by the institution and its situation. The report summarising the findings of the research programme is expected to come out in May 2020. The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights further extended his international relations in 2019 as well, by joining a newly established international anti-corruption and whistleblower protection network called the Network of European Integrity and Whistleblowing Authorities (NEIWA). After the inaugural session The European Network of Equality Bodies (EQUINET) is the organisation with which our Office has had the longest standing relations. The cooperation forum established in 2002 became an international organisation with indepen­ dent legal personality in 2007, and it continues to take action against the various forms of discrimination. The 49 member organisations operating in as many as 36 European countries fight against the various forms of discrimination with different authorisations, competences and means. Hungary is represented in Equinet both by our Office and the Equal Treatment Authority of Hungary. Equinet is one of the key international partners of the Office in several working groups, professional consultation sessions and conferences of which the staff members of the Office are regular and active participants. held in the Hague, Netherlands, our expert colleagues attended the next meeting of the national organisations joining the network and protecting whistleblowers, which was convened in Paris. The organisations of the states joining the network, within the frameworks of the national legal systems and authorisations of the individual countries, undertake an obligation for the protection of persons reporting breaches of EU law, for the transposition of the mechanisms for whistleblower protection in compliance with the legislative position of the European Parliament of 16 April 2019, as well as the fundamental principles set out in the directive of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe of 23 October 2019. With regard to the fact that the Complaints In 2019, the experts of the Office participated in the meetings of several working groups of Equinet organised outside Hungary. The meetings of the communication working group of Equinet, as well as the related training sessions, were organised in Sofia, Bulgaria, then in Riga, Latvia. During the meetings of the working group, the participants could get an insight into Equinet’s strategic and action plans on communication, and they also had the opportunity to get acquainted with the best practices of the various equal opportunity organisations. REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF HUNGARY AND HIS DEPUTIES – 2019