Activities Research project by the University of Vienna Since summer 2005, Univ. Prof. Kucsko-Stadlmayer has been carrying out a legal comparison study at the University of Vienna, between the systems of the European ombudsman institutions. As she explained within the context of the Vienna conference, 'the special focus of this project is on the legal tasks and authorities of these institutions; with this, the most important characteristics of the national and regional systems are to be highlighted. A special emphasis lies in two areas, in which particularly fundamental differences between these institutions are expressed: the protection of human rights and the relationship of the ombudspersons to independent judiciary.' Comparative study by the University of Vienna Within the scope of its possibilities, the Ombudsman Board has supported this research project from the beginning (cf. Report 2005, p. 30), particularly by assisting with obtaining necessary information and establishing contacts to the respective ombudsman institutions. The study is intended to be completed in summer 2007, the result will be published by a specialist legal publisher. EU – Latin America Summit At the express request of the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs (now: Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs) and the 'ADA-Austrian Development Agency', the Ombudsman Board provided organisational and content assistance in connection with the Round Table on 'Human Rights Procurators and Ombudsmen in Latin America and Europe' arranged from April 24 to 26, 2006 as part of the 'EU Latin America Summit', which took place during the Council of Europe presidency by Austria. Although the human rights situation in Central and South America, on the one hand and the old and new EU countries, on the other hand, is classified as being completely different, the EU-LAC Summit in Vienna was regarded as an excellent occasion for Ombudsman Boards, ombudspersons and/or human rights procurators to meet, in order to anticipate a review of existing networks and to examine what the respective institution in one country or region can learn and possibly adopt from the experiences of the others. The fact that a deepening of cooperations in the area of human rights is desirable in view of the rapidly growing economic interdependence between the regions, was undoubted at the event, which was partially moderated by Ombudsman Dr. Kostelka (cf. http://www.real2006.net/eng/mesa.htm). 20 'Human rights procurators and ombudsmen in Latin America and Europe'