Ombudswoman Gertrude Brinek The AOB as a complement to the system of judicial protection From the very beginning, the AOB was set up as a complement to the existing multi-faceted system of judicial protection. And this is precisely why the AOB is particularly called upon to see people not only as subject to the law, but holistically as persons and personalities with their individual worries and problems. And this is also how the AOB is viewed by the population. One of the results of this is the large number of requests for help that go beyond the confines of the AOB’s mandate. I have been very pleased to note that my task as a mediator between the population and legislation and law enforcement is seen as a valuable contribution, including in professional circles. Perceptions about the work of the justice system In seminars and workshops, I have been able to describe what kind of impression the work of the justice system makes on people. It is my responsibility to give the experts involved qualified feedback. I can summarise this with two impressions that were reinforced in the past year. On one hand, many of the parties involved in a court proceeding have a huge knowledge deficit about the process and bases for court rulings. False expectations collide with ununderstandable legalese. On the other hand, there is the growing feeling that only those cases are given the proper attention that are reported in the media and that “minor” cases fall by the wayside. Improvements in the area of family law For the area of family law, I hope that the new regulations about child custody and the increased inclusion of children’s advocates will be accepted by the affected families and will contribute to an improvement overall. There continued to be numerous questions and complaints about legal guardianship. It remains to be seen whether potential solutions for this growing social issue can be found in the near future. Taxation of additional pensions from Germany The recipients of – usually small – additional pensions from Germany were completely caught off guard. Not only are they facing sometimes substantial demands for retrospective payment of the tax on pensions that was introduced in Germany in 2005, but they need assistance regarding the examination of the pension statements and additional information on how they should handle these tax liabilities that are perceived to be “double taxation“. Discussions between the Federal Ministry of Finance and the German tax authorities are currently ongoing. 28