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Discharge 2022: EU general budget - European Ombudsman

TA-9-2024-0234 · P9_TA(2024)0234 · PE753.486

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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 grants the European Ombudsman discharge for the implementation of its 2022 budget and sets out its observations in an accompanying resolution. The resolution notes the Ombudsman's EUR 12 222 108 budget, a 96,97 % implementation rate, and a Court of Auditors error level below the materiality threshold. It welcomes the Ombudsman's work on transparency, access to documents, ethics, digitalisation, staff well-being and interinstitutional cooperation, while raising concerns about delays in access to documents and in handling complaints and inquiries. It regrets the vacant Secretary-General post, the Ombudsman's non-membership of the EU transparency register, and poor accessibility of the Brussels building, and calls on Parliament to improve that accessibility.

Key points

  1. Parliament grants the European Ombudsman discharge for the implementation of its budget for the financial year 2022.
  2. The Ombudsman's budget fell under MFF heading 7, which totalled EUR 11,6 billion, or 5,9 % of Union budget spending in 2022; the Ombudsman's budget was 0,1 % of that heading.
  3. The Court of Auditors examined 60 transactions under Administration and found 14 (23 %) contained errors, with the quantified error level below the materiality threshold; it identified no specific issues concerning the Ombudsman.
  4. The Ombudsman's budget was EUR 12 222 108 in 2022, a decrease of EUR 280 000 from 2021, with a budget implementation rate of 96,97 %.
  5. The Ombudsman made 6 budget transfers totalling EUR 344 460, or 2,8 % of appropriations; average payment time rose from 11,35 to 13 days, and an electronic invoicing system is being implemented from 2023.
  6. The Ombudsman received 2,223 complaints in 2022, 35 % within its mandate, opened 348 inquiries including 60 of public importance, and closed 330.
  7. Parliament is greatly concerned about complaints over extreme delays in access to documents, supports the view that access delayed is access denied, and calls for streamlined administrative processes.
  8. Average time to deal with a complaint within the mandate rose from 61 to 91 days and for an inquiry from 112 to 166 days between 2021 and 2022, while the simplified procedure for outside-the-mandate complaints cut handling time from 15 to 3 days.
  9. Public access to documents remained a priority, with 121 complaints, the highest recorded; fast-track inquiries were 28 % of access-to-documents inquiries, down from 58 % in 2021.
  10. Parliament recalls that restrictions on access to documents, particularly legislative documents, should be exceptional and based on clearly defined legal exemptions with reasoned justification.
  11. The Ombudsman had 74 staff at the end of 2022, with 18 nationalities represented and 67 % women and 33 % men; Parliament regrets the Secretary-General post has been vacant since 1 September 2022.
  12. Parliament welcomes the Ombudsman's ethical framework, digitalisation, open-source software, environmental measures, interinstitutional cooperation and communication efforts, and calls on it to inform the budgetary authority about difficulties on Recovery and Resilience Facility transparency.

Who is affected

  • The European Ombudsman: receives discharge for its 2022 budget and must act on Parliament's observations.
  • Citizens and residents of the EU: the resolution addresses delays in access to documents and complaint handling.
  • The European Parliament: is called on to improve accessibility to the building it rents to the Ombudsman in Brussels.
  • The Ombudsman's staff: affected by working time, hybrid work, traineeship and harassment policies noted in the resolution.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 11,6 billion: total of MFF heading 7 'European public administration' in 2022.
  • 5,9 %: share of Union budget spending under MFF heading 7 in 2022.
  • 0,1 %: the Ombudsman's budget as a share of MFF heading 7 appropriations.
  • 60 transactions: sample examined by the Court of Auditors under Administration for 2022.
  • 14 (23 %) of 60 transactions: contained errors, with quantified error level below the materiality threshold.
  • EUR 12 222 108: the Ombudsman's budget in 2022, a decrease of EUR 280 000 compared to 2021.
  • 96,97 %: budget implementation rate in 2022, compared to 88,8 % the previous year.
  • EUR 344 460 or 2,8 %: total of 6 budget transfers made by the Ombudsman in 2022.

Legal basis: Article 314(10) and Articles 317, 318 and 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.