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The European Ombudsman

Editorial

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to my website! The aim of the site is to give you clear, succinct, and easy-to-understand information on what the European Ombudsman can do for you. It offers an overview of what the Ombudsman has achieved to date, and explains how to lodge a complaint.

The website also contains an interactive guide to help you identify the most appropriate body to turn to with your complaint. This service is proving particularly useful for citizens, businesses, and other organisations throughout Europe. In 2009 - its first year of operation - more than 26 000 people sought and received advice from the Ombudsman through the interactive guide.

The website is regularly updated with case summaries, press releases, details of upcoming events and publications. I hope it will continue to prove a valuable resource for all those who follow the Ombudsman's work. Enjoy visiting it and please feel free to contact me with any feedback or suggestions that you wish to make.

All the best,

P. Nikiforos Diamandouros

Meeting with members of the Network of the Estonian Nonprofit Organizations and journalists

Calendar of activities

At a glance

The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the European Union.

If you are a citizen of a Member State of the Union or reside in a Member State, you can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman. Businesses, associations or other bodies with a registered office in the Union may also complain to the Ombudsman.

Who can help you?

Interactive guide

Summaries of cases

Alleged failure to provide adequate reasons for the complainant's replacement and alleged failure to respect his right to be heard (Added on: 08 February 2010)

Summary of decision on complaint 2449/2007/VIK against the European Commission

The complainant, a British national, was hired as a team leader for consultancy work in Africa. His contract was with a company belonging to a Consortium ('the Contractor'), which was contracted by the Commission to perform a study in country X.

During the first stage of the project's implementation, the Contractor had to prepare an inception report. The complainant, as a team leader, prepared the report in question. The Commission, however, was not satisfied with its content. It made a number of comments and requested the complainant to amend the report accordingly. The Commission subsequently asked the Contractor to replace the complainant with another expert. To that effect, it sent a formal letter to the Contractor.

Press releases

09 February 2010: Ombudsman: The European Citizens' Initiative should work in the most transparent way possible

The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, has issued a contribution to the public consultation on the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI). He called on the Commission to ensure that this important new form of public participation in EU policy shaping, introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, works in the most transparent and citizen-friendly way possible. The ECI provides that one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States can call directly on the European Commission to bring forward legislative proposals in an area of EU competence.

According to Mr Diamandouros, "The ECI should make a vital contribution to the empowerment of European citizens. It is important that the rules giving effect to the ECI facilitate the exercise of this new right by all citizens." Aspects of the Commission's future role concerning citizens' initiatives could give rise to complaints about maladministration. The Ombudsman, therefore, contributed his views on how the ECI should work in practice, stressing the following points:

The European Ombudsman

Editorial

Calendar of activities

Upcoming events

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At a glance

Who can help you?

Interactive guide

Summaries of cases

Press releases