Rules of Procedure of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice*

Approved based on § 139 of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia and § 36 (2) of the Chancellor of Justice Act.

§ 1. Office of the Chancellor of Justice

  1. The Office of the Chancellor of Justice (hereinafter referred to as the "Office") supports the Chancellor of Justice as a constitutional institution in fulfilling their duties.
  2. The Office is located in Tallinn. The Office's postal address is Kohtu 8, Tallinn, 15193.
  3. The Office's email address is [email protected].
  4. The website of the Office is http://www.oiguskantsler.ee.
  5. The official titles of the Chancellor of Justice are in English "Chancellor of Justice", in French "Chancelier de Droit", in German "Der Rechtskanzler", and in Russian "Канцлер права". The official name of the Office is in English "Office of the Chancellor of Justice", in French "Sécretariat Général de Chancelier de Droit", in German: "die Kanzlei des Rechtskanzlers", and in Russian: "Канцелярия Канцлера права".

§ 2. Chancellor of Justice

  1. The Chancellor of Justice is the head of the Office.
  2. The Chancellor of Justice approves the following for the Office:
    1. Rules of Procedure;
    2. Budget (based on the state budget);
    3. Mandatory guidelines on document management, work organization, accounting, and other activities;
    4. Structure and list of service positions;
    5. Annual vacation schedule for staff.
  3. The Chancellor of Justice appoints and dismisses the Office's officials, except for the deputies appointed by the Riigikogu, and concludes or terminates employment contracts, considering the opinion of the immediate manager. Detailed job descriptions and substitution arrangements are specified in job descriptions.
  4. The Chancellor of Justice delegates signing rights and authorizes the deputy, the director, and other staff to perform tasks within the framework of the law.
  5. The Chancellor of Justice signs letters addressed to members of the Riigikogu, the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, and ministers, the Supreme Court, the Auditor General, the Governor of Eesti Pank and council members, and any other letters requiring their signature.

§ 3. Deputies to the Chancellor of Justice

  1. The deputies assist the Chancellor of Justice in managing the Office's operations and conducting legal work necessary for constitutional review and fundamental rights protection.
  2. They also assist and advise departments in fulfilling their duties and performing other tasks assigned by the Chancellor of Justice.
  3. In the Chancellor of Justice’s absence, a designated deputy performs his or her duties. If no deputy is assigned, the longest-serving deputy assumes the role.

§ 4. Director of the Office

  1. The Director of the Office (hereinafter referred to as the "Director") oversees the Office's daily activities, assists the Chancellor of Justice in managing the Office, ensures compliance with established procedures, and leads the preparation of the annual budget draft and procurement processes.
  2. The Director signs the following documents:
    1. Director's general orders and orders for foreign and local secondments, and, if necessary, other orders under the authority of the Chancellor of Justice;
    2. Director's letters of authorization;
    3. Civil contracts;
    4. Management's vacation orders;
    5. Other documents within his or her responsibilities.
  3. The Director, in coordination with the Chancellor of Justice and other management members, is responsible for the long-term strategy and development of the Office and fosters cooperation with other constitutional institutions.

§ 5. Management Board

  1. The Management Board comprises the Chancellor of Justice, Deputies, the Director, heads of departments, the Head of the Legal Service, the Head of Communications, and the Head of International Relations and Organisational Development.
  2. The Management Board advises and assists the Chancellor of Justice in planning activities, coordinating the Office’s operations, and ensuring internal communication. Internal communication may be assigned to a member of the Management Board if necessary.
  3. Regular Management Board meetings are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, chaired by the Chancellor of Justice, or in their absence, by a Deputy or the Director.

§ 6. Departments

  1. The Chancellor of Justice and heads of departments determine the specific division of work within departments.
  2. Departments collaborate and support each other, forming joint task forces for complex assignments. They plan joint inspections of supervised institutions and organise conciliation procedures.
  3. The head of a department signs documents prepared and sent by the department unless the signature of the Chancellor of Justice (§ 2 (5)) or the Director (§ 4 (2)) is required.
  4. A head of department may authorize an adviser to issue procedural notifications or other documents in a specified format.
  5. The head of the department decides whether to allow department staff to take leave outside of the vacation schedule.

§ 7. Business Environment Department

The Business Environment Department primarily addresses legal issues under the Chancellor of Justice’s competence related to the environment, agriculture, fisheries, hunting, planning, construction, infrastructure, energy, transport, communications, information technology, consumer protection, competition, economic management, budgeting, finance, taxes, and public procurement, as well as issues of commercial, obligation, and property law and general questions of European Union law.

§ 8. Inspection Visits Department

  1. The Inspections Department is responsible for developing methodology and summaries for inspections conducted by all departments (except as referred to in § 11 (2) and § 13 (2) of these Rules of Procedure) and manages the organization of inspections.
  2. The department addresses issues related to prison law and ensures the prevention of ill-treatment.
  3. The department's staff, in agreement with the head of the department, may participate in resolving legal issues under the competence of other departments.

§ 9. Children's and Youth Rights Department

The Children's and Youth Rights Department addresses issues within the Chancellor of Justice’s competence related to the protection and promotion of the rights of children and youth.

§ 10. Social Rights Department

The Social Rights Department addresses issues within the Chancellor of Justice’s competence related to education, culture, employment, healthcare, social protection, family law, inheritance, and the protection of intellectual property rights.

§ 11. Law Enforcement Affairs Department

  1. The Law Enforcement Affairs Department primarily addresses issues under the Chancellor of Justice’s competence related to criminal law, public order, the rights of foreigners, data protection, court proceedings, enforcement procedures, state legal aid, public service, national defence, local government, and freedom of religion.
  2. The department plans and organizes inspection visits to institutions involved in covert data processing.

§ 12. General Department

The General Department handles tasks related to the organization of the Office's work, transportation, document management, budget, personnel, infrastructure, property maintenance, and event organization.

§ 13. Legal Service

  1. The Legal Service provides legal clarifications based on the Chancellor of Justice’s competence, responds to information requests, oversees the reception of individuals, forwards correspondence received by the Office to other institutions if the matter falls under their jurisdiction, and performs other tasks assigned to the Legal Service.
  2. The Legal Service monitors the activities of supervised institutions in processing applications from individuals.
  3. The Head of Legal Service signs letters and other documents prepared by the Legal Service unless the signing is within the competence of another official referred to in these Rules of Procedure.

§ 14. Head of NHRI activities

The Head of NHRI (National Human Rights Institution) activities organizes human rights-related preventive and awareness-raising work and the submission of reports within the scope of the NHRI’s tasks for the protection and promotion of human rights assigned to the Chancellor of Justice.

§ 15. Head of Disability Rights

The Head of Disability Rights coordinates activities for the promotion, protection, and monitoring of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

§ 16. Procedures and Guidelines

The Chancellor of Justice and the staff of the Office are guided by the procedures and instructions published on the Office's intranet when organizing their work.

§ 17. Symbols

  1. The logo of the Chancellor of Justice consists of the small coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia and the words “Õiguskantsler. Chancellor of Justice.”
  2. The Chancellor of Justice and the Office use official letterhead registered at the Government Office for correspondence.

§ 18. Entry into Force

These Rules of Procedure enter into force on January 1, 2023.

Approved by the orders of the Chancellor of Justice on 21.12.2018, No. 1-4/1829; 02.01.2020, No. 1-4/202; and 29.12.2022, No. 1-4/2225.

*Please note that this is an automated and unofficial translation.