EU Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho on Transparency, Integrity, and Good Administration

Mission of the European Ombudsman

• 🛡️ The European Ombudsman acts as the guardian of good administration for EU institutions, bodies, offices, and agents.
• ⚖️ Citizens can file complaints about issues ranging from access to documents and research funding to recruitment processes.
• 🎯 The office is solution-driven, aiming to resolve issues impartially between citizens and EU institutions.

Transparency and Access to Documents

• 📈 Complaints related to transparency, particularly access to documents, increased significantly, indicating a gap between citizen expectations and institutional practices.
• 📄 The 1049 regulation governs access to documents, with transparency being the default rule, and exceptions requiring strict scrutiny.
• 🌉 The Ombudsman's office acts as a bridge-builder, inspecting refused documents to ensure citizens' rights are upheld.

Scandals and Integrity Frameworks

• 🚨 Scandals like "Pfizergate," "Qatargate," and "Huawei gate" damage the trust and reputation of the European Union.
• 🤝 While institutions are strengthening their integrity frameworks, an independent ethics body is proposed to establish common standards across institutions.
• 🔑 The Ombudsman emphasizes that while an ethics body is beneficial, institutions like the Ombudsman's office retain crucial competence to receive complaints.

Revolving Doors and Legislative Processes

• 🔄 An own-initiative inquiry into "revolving doors" will examine whether former EU officials adhere to cooling-off periods when moving to new jobs.
• 🧐 The focus is on the implementation of integrity frameworks and ensuring citizens can distinguish between private and public interests.
• 📝 Transparency and accountability are also critical in legislative processes, such as the "omnibus" simplification measures, ensuring procedural fairness and public participation.