What changed

1. PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION

P10_TA(2026)0133

on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, Section VIII – European Ombudsman

Discharge 2024: EU general budget - European Ombudsman

(2025/2153(DEC))

Committee on Budgetary Control

PE778.065

1. European Parliament decision of 29 April 2026 on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, Section VIII – European Ombudsman (2025/2153(DEC))

The European Parliament,

3. Instructs its President to forward this decision and the resolution forming an integral part of it to the European Ombudsman, the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the European External Action Service, and to arrange for their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series).

2. MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

2. European Parliament resolution of 29 April 2026 with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, Section VIII – European Ombudsman (2025/2153(DEC))

with observations forming an integral part of the decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024, Section VIII – European Ombudsman

(2025/2153(DEC))

The European Parliament,

8. Notes that impact of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine continued to create budgetary pressure for the Ombudsman in 2024; notes that the Ombudsman was most affected by the increase in energy costs; notes in this context that, in order to address the impact of this increase on the Ombudsman’s budget, the lump sum paid by the Ombudsman to Parliament for rental charges had to be recalculated; notes that, as a result, the Ombudsman’s actual energy expenditure in 2024 increased by 75 %, rising from EUR 168 900 in 2023 to EUR 295 400 in 2024; notes, from the Questionnaire, that the Ombudsman is of the view that the cumulative effect of the inflationary pressure and the limitation of the non-salary related expenditure to maximum 2 % compared to the previous year will affect the long-term sustainability of the Ombudsman’s budget; stresses that such pressures, if not adequately addressed, risk undermining the cost-efficiency, predictability and sustainability of the Ombudsman’s operations; acknowledges the need of all Union institutions, offices, bodies or agencies to improve their budget management by also taking into account price volatility, especially in the energy sector, when concluding contracts with service providers; stresses that budgetary discipline must be reconciled with realistic cost assessments in order to safeguard taxpayers’ money while maintaining operational continuity;

9. Notes that the budget for staff missions was EUR 120 000 in 2024 (same amount as for 2023); notes nevertheless, that during 2024 a reinforcement of the budget article for missions of +38,60 % was carried out by means of internal transfer(s); notes the Ombudsman’s explanation that reinforcement was necessary due to inflation and an increase in accommodation costs, an increase in the number of necessary missions of the Ombudsman and budgetary estimations based on those of previous years, during which travel was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that the initial missions budget for the Ombudsman remained the same in 20232024 as in the previous years (2022 and 2023), i.e. EUR 35 000; notes that, after reinforcement of that budget via internal transfers, the expenses actually incurred with the Ombudsman’s missions were in total EUR 41 326 in 2024; calls for more realistic initial budgetary forecasting for travel to minimise reliance on large mid-year transfers and ensure stable financial planning;

Internal management, performance and internal control

17. Welcomes the Ombudsman’s inquiries carried out in 2024 in the area of ethics; notes in particular a revolving doors case concerning two former staff members of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), an inquiry based on an infringement complaint concerning an alleged conflict of interest involving the Commissioner for Agriculture and an inquiry into how the Commission ensures there are no conflicts of interest with the experts who assist it in evaluating proposals to be financed under the European Defence Fund;

18. Notes from the Follow-up report that the Ombudsman continued to monitor transparency and accountability related issues linked to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), in the framework of handling complaints in the area of public access to documents, mostly regarding negotiations on the national recovery and resilience plans (RRP); notes with concern among such issues the significant delays encountered by the Commission in replying to requests for access to information, and the level of access granted, which are likely to erode citizen’s trust in the Union administration; appreciates that the Commission, in a case regarding the Dutch RRP, following Ombudsman’s proposal for a solution, granted wider access to 172 documents; strongly condemns, however, the Commission for having taken 21 months to reply to the complainant’s (journalist) confirmatory application, i.e. in July 2024 when the granted access to documents was no longer useful for the purpose intended; agrees that in matters of significant public interest, such as the RRF, there should be no substantial delays in providing access to documents and considers that such delays amount to a denial of transparency and weaken democratic scrutiny; echoes the Ombudsman’s view that the Commission should carefully consider the existence of overriding public interest when applying the exceptions to public access under Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001; calls on the Ombudsman to inform Parliament’s relevant committees as soon as a Commission delay on RRF-related documents is too lengthy to allow for timely political scrutiny; calls furthermore on the Ombudsman to continue prioritising systemic work on undue delays in access-to-documents procedures, including by identifying recurring administrative bottlenecks and good practices across institutions, offices, bodies or agencies; supports the Ombudsman in promoting a consistent application of the ‘overriding public interest’ test, particularly for high-impact files, so that access is provided in time to be meaningful for the purposes of public scrutiny;

19. Recalls that, according to the Ombudsman, restrictions on access to documents, particularly legislative documents, should be exceptional and limited to what is absolutely necessary; also recalls that any decision denying public access to documents must be based on clearly and strictly defined legal exemptions, accompanied by a reasoned and specific justification, to enable citizens to understand the denial of access and make effective use of the legal remedies available; considers that a more proactive approach would help ensure effective transparency and prevent costly and burdensome legal disputes between citizens and institutions; encourages the Ombudsman to further promote proactive publication practices, notably for legislative and policy-shaping documents, in order to strengthen transparency by design and to reduce the administrative burden and litigation risk associated with repetitive access-to-documents requests;

26. Notes that, in terms of gender balance, the Ombudsman employs more women than men in all categories of staff, in particular at management level where all posts are held by women; notes an overall staff representation of 68 % women and 32 % men, compared to 67 % women and 33 % men in 2023; invites the Ombudsman to strive for a more balanced gender representation of its staff; urges the Ombudsman to develop a strategy to address the fact that men are currently entirely absent from management roles; believes that ensuring that the Ombudsman better reflects the diverse composition of the Union's citizens is essential for maintaining a balanced and inclusive working environment across all levels of the hierarchy;

27. Notes that the Ombudsman makes efforts to ensure the physical and mental well-being of its staff at work and focuses on reinforcing team spirit; notes in this context that the Ombudsman organised trainings, with some of them being mandatory, on conflict resolution, giving and receiving feedback, disability and inclusion as well as on first aid in 2024; takes note that the Ombudsman adopted a policy on parental leave in 2024,2004, which, in conjunction with its policy on working time and hybrid adopted in 2021, provides flexible working arrangements which are used and appreciated by the staff; notes that in 2024 the medical service of Parliament did not alert the Ombudsman to any long-term sickness that originated in burnout;

28. Notes with satisfaction from the Questionnaire that no harassment cases were reported in 2024; acknowledges the efforts made by the Ombudsman to provide a working environment that is free from sexual and psychological harassment, in particular through awareness raising and training; notes further that the Ombudsman carried out a survey focused on staff awareness on ethical matters which showed high levels of staff awareness about the Ombudsman’s policy and guidelines on psychological and sexual harassment;

56. Welcomes the sustained level of media attention, with roughly 5 000 articles referencing the Ombudsman’s work in 2024; notes that the Ombudsman primarily gauges public engagement through social media growth and website traffic, whereas follower numbers increased steadily during the year; observes that the Ombudsman’s Instagram, LinkedIn and X accounts gained a total of 9 186 additional followers, surpassing its targets for social media activities in 2024, as well as with regard to the number of unique visitors to its website; stresses the importance of continuing to prioritise external communication in order to enhance public awareness of the Ombudsman’s mandate and the services it provides to Union citizens.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

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