4 Foreword Mr. Ion-Marcel Ciolacu, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Teodor-Viorel Meleșcanu, President of the Senate, Ladies and gentlemen, deputies and senators, The Constitution envisaged the People's Advocate as the guarantor of the fundamental rights and freedoms, overseeing the relationship between administrative authorities and citizens, when the latter consider that their rights have been violated. The People's Advocate is, first and foremost, the voice of the voiceless, of the children, of those who are in centers where they no longer have freedom or their freedom is severely limited and cannot express themselves, be it psychiatric hospitals, centers for elderly persons, penitentiaries, centers for refugees, etc. In 2019, the institution proceeded ex-officio in 1749 cases and were conducted 429 investigations. In order to fulfill its constitutional role, the People's Advocate acts, despite its name, as a mediator, trying to find and propose solutions, either by bringing to the same table those involved, or by issuing recommendations and, based on these premises, appreciates the good collaboration we had, in many cases, with the administrative authorities, especially at the local level. The People's Advocate would have expected to be consulted by the initiators of the draft laws and ordinances, which, through the content of their regulations, concern the rights and freedoms of citizens. Thus, it would have been avoided the use the means of referral to the Constitutional Court, in order to rectify any regulations that the People's Advocate considered unconstitutional and, implicitly, the perception of its involvement in the disputes of political nature between State institutions. In this regard, the present Report contains several proposals for improving the legislative framework regarding the rights of citizens and their relations with public authorities. For the People’s Advocate it is of utmost importance to preserve its independence, as the Constitution itself provides, so that there is no possibility for the institution to be used by representatives of the political sphere, which would distort its role as defender of the fundamental human rights and freedoms. Ombudsperson, Renate Weber Bucharest, January 2020 PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE ANNUAL REPORT 2019