Leden Europees Parlement stellen vragen aan de kandidaten voor de functie van Europees ombudsman (en)

Three candidates for the position of EU Ombudsman answered MEPs' questions at a hearing held by the Petitions committee on Monday, 30 November. MEPs focused on ways to improve EU institutions' transparency, co-operation between Parliament and the Ombudsman, and how to improve communication on the Ombudsman's work.

Protecting human rights and improving co-operation among ombudsmen at EU, national and regional levels were the two key priorities underlined by candidate Vittorio Bottoli (IT), who also promised to be a "strong" EU Ombudsman if elected. He promised to provide an "energetic" service and ensure that the EU ombudsman's work is not "downsized" by governments, as has happened in the past.

Current Ombudsman and second candidate Nikiforos Diamandouros (GR) defended his work in the position, citing his own "professional experience" and "independence" as assets. He focused on three key issues: helping to ensure that EU delivers the benefits for citizens promised by the Lisbon Treaty, strengthening constructive dialogue with EU institutions and bodies and improving service to citizens by using resources more efficiently. Mr Diamandouros also stressed the importance of co-operating with national and regional ombudsmen and of communicating more effectively with citizens.

The third candidate, Pierre-Yves Monette (BE) promised "renovation" and "innovation". A good Ombudsman must "defend traditional rights while facing new challenges", he said. Mr Monette stressed the need to ensure transparency in all EU institutions and bodies, and proposed to appoint a "transparency officer" for each one. He also undertook to follow closely the implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and noted that the Lisbon Treaty's entry into force would make the Ombudsman's role "prominent". Finally, he said he would strive to reduce the duration of the Ombudsman's enquiries.

Improving co-operation between Parliament and the Ombudsman

Pascale GRUNY (EPP, FR) asked the three candidates how they would improve co-operation between the Ombudsman's office and Parliament, and especially the Petitions Committee. Mr Bottoli replied that "there are regions in the EU where ombudsmen's offices have been abolished by law", and "European ombudsmen at all levels know they can count on Parliament and, in particular, on the Petitions Committee, to solve this problem".

Mr Diamandouros stressed that "co-operation with the Petitions Committee has been extremely fruitful and important for me", adding that "I will be more likely to succeed in my duties if I keep the support of this committee".

Mr Monette replied that "co-operation between the European Ombudsman and the Petitions Committee is much better than in many national cases", although more efforts are needed to avoid overlapping mandates and duplication of work.

How to improve transparency?

Victor Bostinaru (S-D, RO) quizzed candidates on the measures they plan to take to promote transparency in EU institutions. Mr Bottoli confirmed that access to public documents will be one of his priorities if elected and pointed out that "the European Ombudsman has the right to ask for access to any EU document, without breaching its confidentiality".

Mr Diamandouros stressed that the Lisbon Treaty provisions will push the Council to become a more transparent institution.

"Co-operation between institutions and awareness are the keys to improving transparency", he added, suggesting that for an ombudsman, transparency should be the main priority.

Better communicating the Ombudsman's activities

Diana Wallis (ALDE, UK) asked about the number of institutions which European citizens may approach to lodge a complaint, "which can be confusing". Mr Bottoli replied that "the Ombudsman's service is free of charge and fast and citizens should know about it". Therefore, "the Ombudsman needs to ensure that all citizens are aware of the existence of this institution and its competences".

Mr Diamandouros replied that "we have been working on an interactive guide to help citizens know which institution to address". He also said that "we have been co-operating with Europe Direct" on this subject.

Mr Monette proposed several ways to improve people's awareness of the Ombudsman's office, such as promoting the contacts with the media, organising conferences and seminars and establishing a "decentralised network of European Ombudsman representatives in all Member States".

Background

The Ombudsman is elected by the European Parliament by secret ballot at the start of each parliamentary term. The next Ombudsman will be elected in January 2010.

With the Lisbon Treaty, in force as of 1 December 2009, the European Parliament has important new lawmaking powers. Virtually all EU legislation is now decided by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers together - including agriculture, immigration, energy and the EU budget. As the only directly-elected EU institution, Parliament's position in making sure the EU is accountable to its citizens is also strengthened, for example by MEPs having a bigger say in appointments to many of the EU's top jobs.