The complainants, two non-governmental organisations, raised concerns with the European Commission about the Industry Advisory Group, which was established in 2022 to provide advice in the context of the EU Energy Platform. In particular, the complainants are concerned that the group members are only industry representatives, which they contend is at odds with the Commission's rules on balanced representation.

The Ombudsman found that the Commission provided a reasonable explanation for the specific composition of the group at the time of its creation, namely, that it needed specialised input from industry stakeholders on an IT tool developed for their exclusive use. As such, she considered that no further inquiries were justified into the matter.

However, this IT tool has now been in use for more than a year and its design seems to have stabilised. In light of this and of the Industry Advisory Group’s broader mandate, the Ombudsman urged the Commission to reflect on the adequacy of the group’s composition. This is especially so considering that some of the elements discussed in the group are now a permanent feature of the EU energy framework. She made a suggestion for improvement to address this.

The Ombudsman was also not convinced by the explanations provided by the Commission as regards why no civil society representatives were given observer status in the group. She made a further suggestion for improvement to address this.