Ombudsman wil dat roken in Europees Parlement aan banden wordt gelegd (en)

The European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros has criticised the European Parliament for failing to control smoking in its buildings.

Following a complaint from an official working for the European Parliament in Luxembourg, the European Ombudsman said the European Parliament was guilty of "mal-administration" because it had failed to take adequate measures to promote compliance with its internal rules on smoking in European Parliament premises.

The Parliament argued that its administration has taken all the necessary measures to ensure that the rules are applied.

Many "no-smoking" signs were posted in the no-smoking areas and smoke extraction systems were established in areas reserved for smokers.

However, some people unfortunately do not feel bound by the rules and break them, regardless of the efforts made by the administration, the Parliament argued.

Although Parliament does not sit in Luxembourg, its secretariat, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of parliamentary business, is based there.