Guardianship Legislation Reform and the European Legal Framework

Osobe s duševnim smetnjama tradicionalno su, u slučaju primjene instituta lišenja poslovne sposobnosti bile, i još uvijek u mnogim zakonodavstvima jesu, zaštićene institutom skrbništva. Sam institut doživio je mnoge izmjene, posebice u komparativnom pravu. Tendencije razvoja instituta skrbništva ogledaju se u primjeni načela autonomije i samoodređenja odrasle osobe, minimalnih ograničenja ljudskih prava, posebice u pogledu osobnih prava, sklapanja braka, roditeljske skrbi, prava glasa i sl. Pri tome, izrijekom se ističe važnost poštovanja dostojanstva osobe i najboljeg interesa kao najvažnijeg kriterija u odlučivanju o osobama s duševnim smetnjama. U smislu pristupanja Europskoj uniji, možemo zaključiti kako, za razliku od nekih drugih grana prava ili instituta, skrbništvo nije normirano “jednoobrazno”. Dapače, velike su razlike u zakonodavstvima zemalja članica. No, tri faktora značajno doprinose harmonizaciji skrbničkih zakonodavstava. Konvencija o pravima osoba s invaliditetom najznačajniji je međunarodni dokument za zaštitu osoba s invaliditetom, a odnosi se i na osobe s duševnim smetnjama. Iako dokument UN-a, kao pravno obvezujući za sve članice Konvencije, pa tako i Europsku uniju koja je ratificirala Konvenciju, zasigurno će određivati smjer skrbničke zaštite u Europskoj uniji, samim time i u Republici Hrvatskoj. Drugi faktor značajan za harmonizaciju svakako su odluke Europskog suda za ljudska prava koji, kada je riječ o traženju zaštite od strane osoba s duševnim smetnjama, uglavnom odlučuje o zahtjevima u kojima se tvrdi da su povrijeđena prava iz čl. 8 Konvencije, a koji se odnosi na poštivanje privatnog i obiteljskog života. Također, značajno je istaknuti mnoge preporuke Vijeća Europe koje se odnose na zaštitu prava osoba s duševnim smetnjama. Treći čimbenik značajan za harmonizaciju su dokumenti Europske Unije. U Povelji Europske unije o ljudskim pravima, između ostalih, za zaštitu osoba s invaliditetom posebice je značajan čl. 26. koji se odnosi na integraciju osoba s invaliditetom. Pitanja zaštite ljudskih prava unutar EU postaju sve važnija, a po pitanju zaštite osoba s invaliditetom donose se brojni dokumenti, za sada, uglavnom s područja zapošljavanja i socijalnih prava. No, područja regulacije sve se više šire.The institute of guardianship has traditionally protected persons with mental disorders in many legal systems in terms of the application of the institute of deprivation of legal capacity. The institute itself has seen many changes, especially from the point of view of comparative law. Development tendencies of the institute of guardianship are reflected in the application of the principle of autonomy and self-determination of adults, minimal restrictions of human rights, particularly as concerns personal rights, the right to enter into marriage, the right to parental care, the right to vote, etc. The importance of respecting human dignity and the person\u27s best interest are explicitly emphasised as the most important criteria in making decisions regarding persons with mental disorders. In the light of the accession to the European Union, it can be concluded that, unlike some other branches of law or institutes, the institute of guardianship is not regulated in a uniform manner. Moreover, there are considerable differences in the regulations of different member states. However, three factors strongly contribute to the harmonisation of guardianship regulations. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the key international document for the protection of persons with disabilities, and also pertains to persons with mental disorders. Although a UN document, legally binding on all signatories, including the European Union, who has ratified it, it will certainly determine the development of guardianship protection in the European Union and the Republic of Croatia. The other significant factor for the harmonisation is the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights. In cases pertaining to persons with mental disorders seeking protection, the Court mainly rules on applications in which a breach of Article 8 of the Convention is claimed, i.e. the respect for private and family life. In addition, the numerous recommendations of the Council of Europe regarding the protection of the rights of persons with mental disorders should also be noted. The third relevant factor is EU documents. Article 26 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU is of particular importance for the integration of persons with disabilities. Human rights protection issues are becoming increasingly important within the EU, and as regards the protection of persons with disabilities, numerous documents are being adopted, still mostly pertaining to the matters of employment and social rights. However, regulation seems to be getting broader in scope