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Activities of the European Ombudsman – annual report 2022

TA-9-2024-0035 · P9_TA(2024)0035 · PE751.674

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Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament approves the European Ombudsman's annual report for 2022 and praises Emily O'Reilly's work on accountability and transparency. It calls on the Council to grant timely public access to legislative documents and to meet transparency standards. It backs Ombudsman findings of maladministration on access to documents, text messages, conflicts of interest and revolving doors, and urges the Commission, the ECB, Frontex and the EIB to act. It asks for better transparency on recovery funds, the common agricultural policy, environmental decisions and human rights complaints.

Key points

  1. Parliament approves the Ombudsman's 2022 annual report and congratulates Emily O'Reilly on her work to improve administrative practices and transparency.
  2. It praises the Ombudsman's cooperation with Parliament and the Committee on Petitions and the Office's improved efficiency, with inquiry length falling from 13 months on average in 2013 to less than 6 months in 2022.
  3. It calls on the Council to comply with transparency standards and grant citizens timely access to legislative documents during ongoing procedures.
  4. It welcomes the inquiry into the Commission's transparency on tobacco industry interactions and says failure to publish meeting details amounted to maladministration.
  5. It wants an investigation into the independence of the EU Energy Platform Industry Advisory Group and endorses the Ombudsman's examination of conflicts of interest among European Defence Fund experts.
  6. It welcomes the Commission's proposal to amend the Financial Regulation to allow rejection of tenderers with conflicts of interest and calls for stronger procurement rules.
  7. It notes Commission improvements on 'revolving doors', says no authorisation should be granted where conflict-of-interest risks cannot be mitigated or monitored, and welcomes the ban on unpaid-leave staff taking risky employment.
  8. It welcomes the ECB inquiry on 'revolving doors' and supports stricter cooling-off requirements and a longer lobbying ban for former ECB staff.
  9. It welcomes efforts to improve lobbying transparency and ethics, including a stronger Code of Conduct for Commissioners, a public record of meetings with lobbyists and publication of travel expenses.
  10. It supports Ombudsman requests to the EIB for transparency on the environmental impact of financed projects and her scrutiny of the EIB's insufficient follow-up.
  11. It urges the Commission to improve access to documents, respect timelines, dedicate sufficient human resources and restructure its approach, and says work-related text and instant messages are 'documents'.
  12. It calls on the Council to learn from the Digital Markets Act inquiry, urges the Commission to act on RRF and CAP transparency, and supports a new portal for human rights complaints and Frontex follow-up.

Who is affected

  • The Council: must grant timely public access to legislative documents and meet transparency standards.
  • The Commission: must improve access to documents, procurement rules, revolving-door controls and transparency on recovery funds and agriculture.
  • The ECB: should apply stricter rules on staff moves to the private sector and longer lobbying bans.
  • Frontex: must ensure adequate follow-up to Ombudsman recommendations and respect fundamental rights.
  • The EIB: should take transparency steps on the environmental impact of financed projects.

Figures and deadlines

  • 348 inquiries opened in 2022, of which 344 complaint-based and 4 own-initiative.
  • 330 inquiries closed in 2022, of which 325 complaint-based and 5 own-initiative.
  • 197 inquiries (57.1%) concerned the Commission.
  • No maladministration found in 37% of closed cases; solution settled in 46.1%; no further inquiries justified in 12.7%; maladministration found in 4.5%.
  • Top concerns in closed inquiries: transparency and accountability (32%), culture of service (20%), respect for fundamental rights (15%).
  • Average inquiry length for closed cases improved from 13 months in 2013 to less than 6 months in 2022.
  • Some RRF-related access requests took one year or more.

Legal basis: Article 10(3) of the Treaty on European Union; Articles 15, 24(3), 228 and 298(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.