Schwerin (dpa/mv) – The ombudsman in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Matthias Crone, has called for more citizen proximity in administrative activities and easier access to public institutions again. Quite a few authorities, especially courts, would still proceed restrictively with reference to the corona pandemic. The legal restrictions have been lifted for months. “I think an “authorities LongCovid” is wrong. Public buildings belong to the public and not to those who work in them,” said Crone on Wednesday at the presentation of his annual report for 2021 in the state parliament in Schwerin. People should be able to experience a properly sorted administration even in times of crisis. He will continue to pay attention to that.
According to Crone, he received exactly 1,985 submissions last year. That was the second highest number submitted to the Ombudsman in a year. In the record year 2020 there were more than 2000 for the first time. Again many petitions were influenced by the corona pandemic and revealed that decisions on this were met with incomprehension. Politicians must draw conclusions from this.
When it comes to legislation and setting standards, a three-pronged rule applies: foresight, advance and comprehensibility. “The better regulations are understood and the more comprehensible they are, the more likely they are to be followed and accepted,” explained Crone. According to him, a large part of the almost 500 petitions related to Corona were complaints about the Corona protection regulations.
The Ombudsman is also responsible for matters relating to people with disabilities. Crone warned against losing sight of this group of people in view of the abundance of currently pending problems. “Even in these times, we must not let up in progressively integrating people with disabilities into community life, into work and education,” he emphasized. This is not only a legal obligation of the state, it is also part of the common image of humanity.
