Eurojust and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court have won the 2023 European Ombudsman Award for Good Administration for helping civil society to document war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Guidelines for Documenting International Crimes and Human Rights Violations for Criminal Accountability Purposes advises on the collection and preservation of information so that it can be used as admissible evidence in court.

“Holding the perpetrators of war crimes and human rights violations accountable brings justice for victims and may have a deterrent effect in future conflicts. History has shown how hard it can be to prosecute such crimes, which is why finding effective ways to collect and preserve evidence is so vital.”

Speaking generally about the quality of submissions for the Award for Good Administration, the Ombudsman said: “This year’s nominations have once again shown the exceptional quality of the work of EU institutions, ranging from internal initiatives to create a more efficient administration to the tackling of key issues affecting Europe and the world.”

Background

The Award recognises actions by the EU public administration that have a visible and direct positive impact on the lives of citizens. Prizes in five categories – including excellence in diversity and inclusion, and excellence in open administration – were also awarded.

The Ombudsman introduced the award in 2017 to recognise excellence in EU public service and to encourage the sharing of good ideas and best practice. This is the fourth edition of the award.

The nominations were assessed by an independent advisory board with the winners chosen by the Ombudsman.

List of the category winners

Winner in citizen-oriented delivery category

Helping civil society document core international crimes - Eurojust and the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court

Winner in communications category

Showing EU solidarity with Ukraine - DG COMM, European Commission

Winner in diversity and inclusion category

Positive Action Programme for trainees with a disability - Council of the European Union

Winner in innovation category

EU Digital COVID Certificate - DGs JUST, CNECT, SANTE, European Commission

Winner in open administration category

Kohesio: Discover EU projects in your region - DG REGIO, European Commission

Special Award

Working with children to produce a new EU strategy on the rights of the child - DG JUST, European Commission

Most popular with the public

Protecting EU recovery funds from organised crime and fraudsters - Europol in cooperation with Polizia di Stato (Italy)

Short-listed projects in each category

Citizen-oriented delivery

• Promoting civic monitoring for EU environmental enforcement - Joint Research Centre, European Commission
• Fighting wildfires in Europe - DG ECHO, European Commission
• Helping civil society document core international crimes - Eurojust and the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court
• Online platform for the Conference on the Future of Europe - DG COMM, European Commission

Communications

• Showing EU solidarity with Ukraine - DG COMM, European Commission
• Helping EU citizens understand monetary policy in times of high inflation - European Central Bank
• Optimising hybrid communications in the European Parliament - European Parliament
• Virtual classroom visits to the Court of the Justice of the European Union - Court of Justice of the European Union

Diversity and inclusion

• DiscoverEU becomes more inclusive - DG EAC, European Commission
• Positive Action Programme for trainees with a disability - Council of the European Union
• Diversity and inclusion survey 2021 - European Commission and European External Action Service
• Helping staff with disabilities find accessible EU delegations - European External Action Service

Innovation

• Fostering privacy and data protection rights through alternative social media platforms - European Data Protection Supervisor
• EU Digital COVID Certificate - DGs JUST, CNECT, and SANTE, European Commission
• Reducing red tape in cross-border administrative procedures - DGs GROW and DIGIT, European Commission
• Improving treatment guidance and reducing mortality for people who use opioids - European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Open administration

• Encouraging better project management in public administrations - DG DIGIT, European Commission
• Making sustainable products the norm - DGs ENV, GROW, and ENER, European Commission
• Kohesio: Discover EU projects in your region - DG REGIO, European Commission
• Sharing labs to drive excellence and innovation - Joint Research Centre, European Commission