The case concerned how the Council of the European Union and the European Commission handled the payment of family allowances to the complainant after her legal separation from an EU staff member working for the Council.

During the course of the inquiry, the Paymaster Office of the European Commission (PMO), which is responsible for the handling of family allowances for the Council’s staff, started to pay family allowances to the complainant.

The Ombudsman found that, before the matter became the responsibility of the PMO, the Council handled it appropriately. However, the PMO failed to handle the matter with the necessary diligence. She concluded that this constituted maladministration but that, as the PMO had started to pay allowances in the meantime, there was no useful recommendation that could be made.